A New Arrival
by trixiebelle
Summary: A new arrival touches the lives of our friends in Seacouver.
1. Default Chapter

If there was one thing that Gwen hated more than anything, it was moving. One would think being an Army brat would have gotten her used to this by now, but some things just didn't get easier with time. Not that she had much stuff to pack up. Most of her possessions were in storage since she'd been living in graduate student housing for the last year. It wasn't exactly like barracks, but the small rooms didn't give her much space for her treasures. Until she knew how long she was going to be in Seacouver, she wasn't going to send for anything that she didn't absolutely need.  
  
Gwen's friend from her undergraduate days at Duke University had asked her to come out to teach a few classes in the newly formed department of Near Eastern Studies. Sally had gone on to study Classical History and had come to Seacouver two years ago to teach. When the faculty started talking about this new program of study, she immediately called Gwen Ambrose. This was right up her alley.  
  
Unfortunately for Sally, Gwen only agreed to commit for one semester, two at the most. She was working on her dissertation for her Ph.D, and didn't want to tie herself down until it was finished.  
  
One of the things that Gwen hated about moving was finding a new place to work out. She had been studying martial arts since she was seven and had been kickboxing for he past five years. Most of the gyms she visited were either temples to testosterone or the worst kind of "meet markets." She just wanted to find a place with some other serious martial arts students, a couple of good punching bags and maybe someone to spar with on occasion.  
  
She was on her way to the seventh gym she had found in the phone book. This one looked a little run down from the outside, but much less crowded. As she entered the dojo, Gwen noted some staffs and practice swords on the wall, a heavy bag hanging in one corner and a large area of mats off to one side. Two teenagers were lacing up boxing gloves, while a woman stretched in the corner. A young man with curly red hair was jumping rope, but stopped when he saw her looking around.  
  
"Hi, I'm Richie Ryan," the red head said with a smile. "Can I help you?"  
  
Gwen responded with a smile of her own, "Hi, Richie. My name is Gwen Ambrose. I just moved to the area and I'm looking for a place to work out."  
  
Richie eyed the young woman. She was not very tall, but appeared to be in good shape, muscular, though not built up. She had shoulder length brown hair and the most unusual teal colored eyes he had ever seen.  
  
"Well," Richie said, gesturing around the room, "We don't have much in the way of treadmills or aerobics or anything like that."  
  
"Thank God!" replied Gwen. "All that loud music and posturing. I hate that! Besides, I run in the park. I really want to find someone to spar with who doesn't think that 'little girls like me shouldn't be kickboxing' or who aren't trying to pick me up!!"  
  
"Hey, I'm all for girls being able to protect themselves. We have a few people who come here who would love to see what you've got." Richie grinned at her as he said, "I can't guarantee that no one will try to pick you up, though. I mean we are only human!"  
  
"We?!?" She asked, grinning back. "I'll make you a deal. You can hit on me all you like as long as you don't mind me kicking your butt in the ring."  
  
"Bring it on!!" Richie laughed. "If you're really interested, let's get you signed up. Come on into the office and let me get some information."  
  
Turning back around to the equipment on the walls, Gwen asked, "So what kind of martial arts do you guys teach here? I'd like to do some work with the swords, if someone could show me some moves."  
  
Richie nodded, "I'd be happy to help you. I'm no slouch with a sword, but Mac's really the expert. I can get you started, but you should work with him when he gets back. This is his place."  
  
"Who's Mac?" Gwen asked. "I thought. Well, you seemed to be in charge here."  
  
"Mac is Duncan MacLeod," he explained as the walked into the office. "He's owned the dojo for several years now. In fact, he owns the whole building. He lives in the loft upstairs."  
  
A frown came across Gwen's face, like she was trying to remember something. "MacLeod," she said softly.  
  
"Do you know Mac?" Richie asked.  
  
"No, I'm sure I don't." Gwen said, shaking her head. "My dad had a friend whose last name was MacLeod, but he lived in the New York area, I think. Anyway, that was a long time ago."  
  
"Well, Duncan had a cousin named Connor MacLeod in New York," he offered.  
  
"Maybe it was Connor. I only met him a couple of times. I don't really remember much about him, but my dad seemed a little in awe of him or something." She paused for a moment, then turned back to Richie, "Oh, well. back to business. Where do I need to sign?"  
  
"Mac, I'm telling you, there is something about this girl!" Richie had been raving about Gwen for ten minutes. Duncan had called to see how things were going and to tell him when he expected to be home. He enjoyed spending time in Paris when he could and had been there most of the summer.  
  
"Are you sure it's not just your over-active hormones?" Duncan asked with a laugh.  
  
Richie sighed, "No, it's not like that. I mean, she is very attractive and all, but there is something else. Something almost familiar, but not. You know?"  
  
"Not really, Richie," Duncan said, still laughing. "It sounds to me like you're smitten."  
  
"Maybe, but there really is something else." Richie's voice trailed off.  
  
"I'll call back in a couple of days. Maybe you can figure it out by then. Talk to you later." Duncan and Richie hung up and Richie went back to working on the books for the dojo.  
  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Gwen had familiarized herself with the campus, gotten her office in order, checked out the lecture hall and the smaller classroom where she would be teaching and made sure that texts and reference materials her students would need were available. Now she needed to work on her personal life. The only things she had accomplished on that front were the dojo and buying groceries. She hadn't even set up her bed. She had put sheets on the mattress that was still on the floor.  
  
'You'd think in two weeks I'd be more organized than this,' she thought. 'I'm still living out of a suit case!' She dug out her workout clothes and quickly changed. She had made plans with Richie to start working with the practice swords at three and it was already two thirty. Maybe she could bribe him with pizza and beer and he'd help her out her move some of the furniture and set her bed up.  
  
When she arrived at the dojo, however, Richie was nowhere to be seen. Gwen set her bag down in the corner and walked over to the office and knocked on the door. The chair spun around revealing a man darker than Richie, somewhat older and incredibly handsome.  
  
"Uh, hi. I was looking for Richie. We were supposed to meet at three."  
  
"Ah, you must be the famous Gwen! I haven't heard about anything else in the past two weeks." The man rose and stuck out his hand, "I'm Duncan MacLeod."  
  
Gwen chuckled as she shook his hand, "Gwen, yes. Famous, no. And Richie has mentioned you a time or two, as well."  
  
"He told me that you would be here. He said that he had an errand to run, but I expect any time now." As soon as he said that, he felt the familiar buzz announcing the arrival of another immortal. A moment later, Richie came bounding in to the dojo. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own anyone that you recognize. If I did there would still be a show on the air and not just in reruns!!! This story is post End Game, but Richie never died, because that just should have never happened. So, as far as a time line goes, it is just my own little universe. Thanks for reading.  
  
"Hey! Sorry I'm late." Richie said in a rush. "I see you two have met. What are you talking about? Me?"  
  
"Actually, I just got here. We haven't had much of an opportunity to talk about anything." Gwen smiled at the young man.  
  
"What brings you to Seacouver?" Duncan asked.  
  
"I am going to be teaching a few classes at the University this semester and possibly next," she answered. "I really need to get back to Berkley to finish my dissertation, but I was asked to help out with the new department, so here I am."  
  
"What new department?" he queried. "Not the Near Eastern Studies department?"  
  
"Yes, that department," she replied. "I didn't think it was that well known if they needed my help to get it up and running. How on earth did you hear about it?"  
  
"I teach a class in Celtic lore there. Word gets around," Duncan responded casually. "What is your primary interest on the Near East?"  
  
"My main focus is the mythology of ancient Sumeria. I teach history of the Tigris and Euphrates region and pre-Biblical Near Easter Religion." Gwen looked at Richie, whose eyes had started to glaze over at all the intellectual discussion. "Sorry, Richie. Are you ready?"  
  
"Yep. Are you sure you want to work with the swords?" he asked. "We could start with staffs if you want."  
  
Duncan's interest was peaked. "You want to learn to sword fight? That's an unusual request."  
  
Before Gwen could answer, Richie piped up, "I told her that you were the expert, but that I'd get her started."  
  
"Why are you interested in the swords, Ms. Ambrose?" the older man asked.  
  
"First of all, it's Gwen. My father got me started in a fencing club when I was ten. I enjoyed it for a couple of years, but then we moved again," she answered. "When I came in a couple of weeks ago and saw the practice swords on the wall, I thought it might be a good time take it up again."  
  
"Well, Gwen," Duncan replied. "You realize that fencing is different than the forms used in martial arts? I'm not sure it's going to be just 'picking it up again' like you think."  
  
"I have been studying martial arts in one form or another most of my life, Mr. MacLeod," Gwen said defensively. "For the past five years, I have been kickboxing and this past year I began an intensive study of aikido with a noted instructor in Berkley. I think I'll 'pick it up again' just fine! Ready, Richie?"  
  
Duncan held up his hands. "Okay. Sorry. I didn't mean any offense. I was just pointing out the differences, that's all. I'll be more than happy to help you out if you want. And it's Duncan. "  
  
Gwen relaxed a bit and turned back to look at him. She took a deep breath then said, "No, I'm sorry, Duncan. I grew up as the only child of a career Army man. Moving so much meant everything was that much more difficult for me - keeping up with school work, making friends. My mom expected me to be like her and settle down with some GI. I am so used to people, men especially, telling me that I'm not capable of doing what I want to do. I realize that this will be hard, but I like to be challenged."  
  
Richie quickly stepped in between the two. "Well, now that the love fest is over... Gwen are you ready to work out?"  
  
"I'm ready. Show me what to do." As Gwen and Richie moved out onto the dojo floor to start their first lesson, Duncan watched for a moment, then turned and went back into the office. He reached for the phone and dialed a familiar number.  
  
"Hi, Joe. It's me. We may need another watcher soon and it better be a good one. I just met a girl who is pre-immortal and she appears to be quite the handful." 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Same as last chapter, if you recognize them from the show, they aren't mine. I am not being compensated monetarily for any of this and any body who says so is a big fat liar. 

Duncan watched Gwen and Richie work out from the office window. Gwen had been right, she was no beginner. She may not have used swords much, but her other training gave her an advantage and she was picking it up quickly. Richie was a patient teacher, starting out with the basics. Duncan just hoped that Gwen wouldn't be forced to use any of this new training any time soon.

After an hour and a half, they decided to quit for the day. As Gwen was getting her stuff, she turned to Richie and asked her favor. "I was wondering if I could borrow some of your muscle, if you're not busy tonight. I haven't done much of anything to put my apartment together and some of it takes two people. I'll buy pizza and beer."

"Sure," Richie said with a smile. "I don't have any other plans. What time?"

"How about seven? That'll give me time to stop by the store and get the pizza ordered," Gwen replied, checking her watch. "Any special requests? I hear Mario's has a great Sicilian pizza."

"They do. That's my favorite. I'll eat just about anything on pizza except anchovies and black olives." Richie's mouth was already watering. 

"Got it." She said, heading for the door. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"See you then!" Richie waved as she left. He walked to the office as Duncan was coming out.

"So, Rich. Got a hot date tonight?" Duncan asked. 

"Not really," he said. "Gwen needs some help moving furniture and stuff and she's going to feed me. Besides, I haven't thought of he like that. Well, not much, anyway," he added, blushing a little. 

"Yeah, right! Well, have fun. I'm going to Joe's if you need me." Duncan moved to the elevator, "Talk to you tomorrow."

At five minutes after seven, Richie pulled at the address Gwen had given him. It was a duplex just off campus with a deep front porch and a small yard. He grabbed his helmet and headed up the walkway to the front door and knocked. 

A minute later, the door opened revealing a barefoot Gwen, dressed in loose jeans and a short Atlanta Braves t-shirt, her thick brown hair still wet. She had obviously just gotten out of the shower.    

"Come on in," she said, moving out of the way. "The pizza should be here soon. Do you want a beer?"

"Whatever you're having," Richie answered, looking around the room. There were a few boxes stacked in a corner and a disassembled entertainment center in the middle of the room. There was a baseball game on the television, the sound turned down.

Gwen went into the kitchen. "Well, I'm having a bottle of water, but I do have beer, V-8 Splash and iced tea. Your choice."

 "Beer's good," he said. "You don't have nearly as much stuff as I expected you to have."

Gwen handed him the opened bottle. "Most of my things are in storage in Atlanta. I've been living in student housing for the past several years and there's no point in dragging everything you own all over the world with you if you can help it."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Gwen grabbed her wallet and went to the front door. She paid for the pizza and set the box on the coffee table. "I'll grab some plates and napkins. Do you need another beer?"

"Sure, since you're going in there anyway." Richie opened the pizza box and inhaled the spicy aroma. "This is the best pizza ever!" 

Gwen returned with the plates and napkins and plopped down on the floor beside the coffee table. She handed Richie his beer and grabbed the remote to turn the sound up on the television. "I just want to check the score," she explained.

"Fine with me." He bit into the slice of pizza, closed his eyes and practically moaned with pleasure. "If you feed me this all the time and I'll pretty much be your slave forever."

Gwen laughed. "It seems I have found the secret to Richie Ryan – FOOD!! I promise not to work you too hard, though. I mostly need help with the entertainment center and setting up my bed." She turned her attention back to the game. 

"So are you from Atlanta?" Richie asked. "You mentioned that you had stuff there and you do seem to have an obsession with the Braves."

"Yes, that was a little obvious, wasn't it?"  She turned the volume down and took a sip of her water. "My mother was raised in Atlanta and I still have a cousin there. It's as close to a home as I have, I guess."

Reaching for another slice, Richie said, "You told me that you were an Army brat. Is your dad still in the military?"

"No, he died two years ago. Lung cancer. No one could get him to quit smoking, even after my mom died from breast cancer. You'd think that would wake him up, but he was as stubborn as they come." Gwen smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" Richie set down the pizza and wiped his hands on the napkin. 

"It's okay. My mother died when I was seventeen. Dad and I didn't get along too well after that. I went off to Duke and when I needed to go home on school breaks, I went to my mom's family in Atlanta." 

"Wow. Both parents with cancer. Doesn't that make you, like, really high risk or something?" As soon as it was out of his mouth he regretted it. "Oh, man, I really didn't mean it like that! I'm so sorry!" 

"Again, it's okay," Gwen said as she reached over and patted his hand. "I was adopted, so there isn't a genetic risk from them. Although, I have no idea who my birth parents were, so you never know. Now, let's get this stuff set up. I'm tired of living out of boxes."

They set up the entertainment center and hooked up the stereo. "I've been playing to CD's on my laptop, but this is the way to listen to music." Gwen nodded to a couple of CD cases on the desk, "Pick out something that you want to hear."

Richie started flipping through the cases, "You have a lot of different types of stuff in here. I would have pegged you as a classic rock or maybe a pop music kind of girl, but you have a little bit of everything."

"I like most kinds of music, except opera and maybe country. Although, I like old country, you know Hank Williams, Patsy Cline. But opera is out!" 

"Don't tell Mac you feel that way," he said. "I think he has season tickets or something. He took me to a couple of them, but I just can't seem to get into it."

Richie selected a CD and loaded it into the stereo. The sounds of The Black Crows filled to apartment. Gwen nodded, "Good choice. Now, can you help me get this bed set up? I've been sleeping on the mattress on the floor." 

Gwen had managed to get most of her clothes in the closet and chest of drawers before Richie came over and she had a clean set of sheets on the chair. All of the parts to the bed were stacked in the corner. 

Richie's eyes traveled over to the other corner where three guitar cases were leaning against the dresser. "You're a musician, too?" he asked. 

Shrugging, Gwen replied, "Well, that might be overstating things a little. I play some."

"Cool. Do you like blues? Because a friend of mine owns this great blues club," he said excitedly. "We could go sometime. They have a good house band and Joe usually plays."

"I'd like that. I haven't heard good blues in a while. Now let's get this set up so I'll have a decent place to sleep tonight."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Still the same – not mine, not getting any money, just the glory!!!**

**Thanks to SouthernChickie and onlyGodcanjudgeme for reading and reviewing very quickly.**

**And now back to our show…**

The first two months of the semester had flown by. Gwen had settled into a routine around her classes and office hours. She usually started her day at 5:30 with a run in the park. She was on campus by 8:15. Her day was filled with one large lecture and two smaller, more specialized classes, advising and mentoring a few of her students and grading papers. By 4:30 she was heading downtown toward the dojo. 

Richie was an excellent instructor. They warmed up with some technical moves and as her technique improved had started sparring. It was taking longer for him to disarm her each day. She still insisted that they get in the ring and kick box so that she could beat him at something. 

Duncan watched her progress with interest. He also watched the relationship between the two of them. So far he had not seen any signs of anything romantic. When he questioned Richie about it, the younger man looked at him in surprise. "Mac, I know you think that I am nothing but a walking bundle of hormones, but I am capable of having just a friendship with a woman. I mean, I really like Gwen. We have a great time together. I just don't get that kind of vibe from her and that's cool with me." 

Duncan shook his head, "Wow, Richie. That almost sounded like an adult sentiment." 

"You know, Mac, just because I don't age doesn't mean I can't grow up."

________________________________________________________________________

A few nights a week, they went to Joe's. Richie had been right about the house band – they were good, especially when Joe played with them. The blues were really in his soul. 

Richie had told Joe about the guitars in Gwen's apartment. She kept protesting that she really wasn't a musician, but they managed to get it out of her that she had played with a band during her undergraduate days. "We just played fraternity parties and a couple of small bars in the area. I was really no big deal." 

"Do you still play?" Joe wanted to know.

"Just for myself. I haven't had a lot of time lately, but I enjoy it," she replied. "Sometimes it's a better stress reliever than the punching bag."

"Even better than punching me?" Richie teased.

"Nothing is better than that!" Gwen swatted at him as he ducked away. 

Joe was still interested in music. "What kind of stuff do you play, when you have time?"

Gwen turned her attention back to Joe. "I just play… whatever. I play by ear, so I just kind of pick it out. When I played in college, we did a lot of covers of popular and rock music, so I listened to it and played along until I got it down. But I like most kinds of music."

"You ought to see her CD collection!" Richie exclaimed. "She has some of just about everything."

"Except opera!!" he and Gwen said together, laughing. 

"And just what is wrong with opera?" Duncan said indignantly. 

"Sorry, Duncan, no offense intended." Gwen answered, still laughing. "I enjoy other classical music. I just can't get into opera." 

Richie added, "Yeah, and the last one you dragged me to didn't do much for me except give me a good nap." 

"Okay. So, no more opera for you." Duncan rolled his eyes at Richie. Turning back to Gwen, he asked, "When are you going to let us hear you play?" 

Gwen shook her head, "Really guys, I just play for my own enjoyment. I'm not much of a performer."

Joe slowly got to his feet and said, "Well, I'm a performer and I have another set. Excuse me." 

Duncan ordered another round of drinks for the table as they listened to the last set. 

The next day was Saturday. After her morning run, Gwen had cleaned her apartment and gone to the Laundromat. She finished putting her clothes away and looked down at the cases by the dresser. Shrugging, she grabbed one of them and headed for the living room. 

 The acoustic guitar had not been played since she moved to Seacouver. She adjusted the stings and strummed a few chords. Soon a melody took shape and for the next hour songs poured out of her hands. She sang to some and just played others. She had just started Green Day's "Good Riddance" when her front door eased open. 

Richie and Duncan had stopped by to invite Gwen over to Duncan's for dinner since they happened to be in her neighborhood. They heard the music as they stepped on to the porch. Motioning for Richie to be quiet, Duncan leaned on the door to hear a little better. To his surprise, it swung open. 

Neither man made a sound as they tiptoed inside. Gwen sat on the coffee table with her back to the front door. She sang the song with so much emotion it was as if her life depended on it. Richie had figured that music was more to her than she let on, but Duncan was transfixed. While she didn't have the most beautiful voice, it was well-suited piece she sang. 

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road  
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go  
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why  
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time  
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right  
I hope you had the time of your life  
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind  
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time

Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial  
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while  
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right  
I hope you had the time of your life.  
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right  
I hope you had the time of your life.  
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right  
I hope you had the time of your life.

As she played the last few notes, Richie coughed. Gwen spun around at the sound. Her face was wet with the tears she had been shedding as she sang. She quickly wiped them away. "What are you guys doing here?" she sniffed. 

"We… uh… Well," Richie stammered, looking at Duncan.

Duncan took a step forward, "That was beautiful," he said softly. Gwen stood and set the guitar down. She just shook her head and looked at the floor. 

Clearing his throat, Richie finally found his voice. "We just came by to ask you over to Duncan's for dinner. He's cooking lasagna."     

Gwen looked from one man to the other. Both returned her stare expectantly. "Um…sure, I guess. What time?"

"I can have it ready by eight o'clock, but you can come over any time," Duncan replied.

"Okay. Can I bring anything?" she asked.

"Yeah," Richie chimed in. "Bring your guitar." Duncan elbowed him in the ribs and shook his head. "Or not. Whatever."

"I think I've had enough of this today." Gwen put the instrument back in its case. "Maybe some other time. Anything else?"

The older man thought for a moment, "No, I think we have everything. Just bring yourself."

"Okay, I'll be over later." She waved at her friends as they left. Sighing, she picked up the case and put it back in the bedroom then went to take a shower.  


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still don't own them (still wish I did). Still not making any money from this (still wish I was).  

As Gwen pulled her jeep in to her regular spot at the dojo, she almost grabbed her gym bag. Instead, she reached for the smaller bag on the seat and climbed out. She hoped that Duncan and Richie wouldn't make too much of what they had seen and heard that afternoon. She wasn't in the mood to share the reason for the tears with them tonight. 

Richie's motorcycle was parked in its usual spot and she saw Duncan's Thunderbird around the corner. As she started to open the front door, she noticed someone sitting in a small sedan a short distance down the street. It briefly crossed her mind that it was an odd place for someone to just be hanging out in their car, but the thought was cut short by Richie bounding down the stairs toward her. 

Smiling, he unlocked the door, "There you are!! I just realized that you couldn't get in, so I was coming down to wait for you."

"Well then you have great timing," Gwen said, returning his smile. "I wasn't sure if I was too early." 

"Nope, You're right on time." They crossed the dojo floor to the elevator. "Mac just put the bread in and opened a bottle of wine." 

"I feel like I should have brought something," she said as they went up. "I could have put a salad together or bought the wine…"

"Actually, I did the salad," Richie said, "and Mac can get a little picky about wine. Besides, you did bring something. What's in the bag?"

"Well, I didn't want to be subjected to opera if at all possible," she said with a laugh, "so I made a couple of CDs. Just mellow stuff like Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt. I thought it might make good dinner music."

"After that discussion at Joe's, I don't think that Mac would intentionally put us through that." Just then the elevator stopped. Richie opened the gate and they were assaulted with the spicy aroma of the lasagna. 

Duncan was in the kitchen wiping off the counters. He came around the corner to greet them as they entered the loft. "Hi. I'm so glad you agreed to come." He leaned over to give Gwen a light hug. 

She returned the embrace.  "Thank you for inviting me. I haven't had a home cooked meal in… Well, I'm not sure how long it's been. It smells great."

"What can I get you to drink?" he asked, moving back to the kitchen. "I have a good Merlot, or there's beer, water and maybe some soda." 

Gwen thought for a moment, "A small glass of Merlot, I guess. Thanks." She surveyed the loft as Duncan poured her wine. "This is some place. You have some beautiful things."

Richie eagerly filled her in on the history of several objects as Duncan returned to the kitchen to check on dinner. From the kitchen, he watched the pair and wondered again at their lack of romantic interest in each other. While she wasn't a stunning beauty, it seemed Gwen became prettier the more one knew her. The timer indicating that the lasagna was done snapped him out of his reverie. 

Like one of Pavlov dogs, Richie practically ran to the table. "Could you get the salad out of the fridge, please, Richie?" Duncan asked. "And make sure that Gwen has some thing to drink."

"I'd like water if you don't mind," Gwen told him. "The wine was good, but I don't need any more." 

Richie cocked his head to one side and looked at her. "Now that you mention it, I've noticed that you never drink more than one drink, then you switch to water. Why?

Looking a little surprised, she opened her mouth to answer him when a cell phone rang. Embarrassed, Richie reached into his pocket. "Sorry. Hello? …. Hi! I was hoping you would call. … Well, I'm about to sit down to dinner, but I could meet you around nine-thirty or ten. … Okay, see you then."

"Hot date?" Gwen asked, grinning. 

Sheepishly, Richie put the phone back in his pocket. "Yeah, kind of. Her name is Andrea and she works at the bike shop. I've been trying to get her to go out with me for a while and she finally wants to meet me for a drink. You guys don't mind if I bail after dinner, do you?"

Duncan smiled and said, "Far be it from us to keep you from furthering your love life! Right, Gwen?" 

"Go for it, Rich," she told him. "Don't mind us."

"Thanks, guys. Now can we eat. 'cause I'm starving." Richie grabbed the salad from the counter and put it on the table. Gwen and Duncan followed and the started their meal. 

As they were putting the last of the leftovers away, Duncan's phone rang. He reached over the counter to answer it. "MacLeod. … Me – Adam! Where are you?"

"Tell him I said hello!" Richie yelled. He and Gwen moved over to the living area while Duncan continued his conversation.

"Richie says hello. …Well, when are you coming back? … Oh, really?!? … That's a pretty good offer." He glanced over at the woman on the couch. "I think you should absolutely take that position. You might find some of your coworkers quite interesting. … Okay, let me know. … I'll talk to you soon."

"So, Mac, what's up with the old man?" Richie wanted to know. 

"Old man?" Gwen looked confused.

Duncan shot Richie a warning glance. "It's kind of a private joke," he told Gwen. "Adam is still in London, but he'll probably be in by Christmas, New Years at the latest."

Richie suddenly jumped up, "Oh, man, I've got to go. Andrea is going to think I stood her up. I'll see you guys later." And he was out the door. 

"Well, there goes hurricane Richie!" Gwen joked. "I always thought that I had a lot of energy, but sometimes he's hard to keep up with."

Duncan joined in her laughter, "You have no idea! Would you like some dessert? I have chocolate mousse."

"Are you kidding? I already have to run an extra mile tomorrow because of all the lasagna and bread I ate!" Gwen rubbed her stomach. "I haven't eaten like that in ages."

"How about I throw in some extra sparring tomorrow if you join me for dessert?" he suggested. 

Surprised at that, she replied, "I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Richie knocks me flat almost every time we work out." 

"I've been watching you," he told her, "you have made a lot of progress. You might benefit by learning another style."

"You seem to have been watching me quite a bit lately." She shifted uncomfortably.

Duncan glanced up at her then back at the floor, "About that… We didn't mean to intrude. I heard the music and leaned on the door and it just opened. We really should have let you know that we were there, but I didn't want to stop you"

Gwen rose and went to the window. She wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. "You caught me in kind of an emotional moment. I haven't played that song in a long time."

"Whoever you were thinking of meant a lot to you, didn't they?" He said softly.

Doing her best not to cry again, she turned and leaned against the wall facing Duncan. "His name was Cary. We met on our first day at Duke." Gwen smiled slightly at the memory. "It seemed like a million people all trying to move into the dorms at once. There were suitcases and boxes all over the sidewalks. We each picked up the other's guitars. It took us three days to track the other down. We had only exchanged first names so…" Her voice trailed off and she turned back to the window. 

Duncan got up and joined her at the window. He started to ask her what had happened when she spoke again.

"We became best friends almost immediately. He's the one who started our band and got us the gigs. He wrote songs and poetry, painted some wonderful pictures and made the deans list every semester as a pre-med student. Talk about a brilliant individual!" She paused again and pressed her forehead to the glass. 

Duncan almost reached out to touch her, but pulled back. Instead, he asked, "What happened to him?"

"Our senior year, we were playing at a bar in Chapel Hill. The crowd was really good that night and people were sending us drinks left and right. He was so energetic on stage that I didn't realize how drunk he really was. After the show, we loaded up John's van. He was our drummer and Cary's roommate. It had turned cold and I didn't have a warm enough jacket. Cary and I had ridden his motorcycle to the bar, but I decided to ride back with John." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "He always drove too fast, so we expected him to be waiting for us when we got back. About an hour later, the police showed up."

Gwen had been looking out the window during her narrative, but now she turned to face Duncan, who had been watching her the entire time. "He had taken some back roads so he could speed even more than he usually did and ended up wrapped around a tree."

"God, how horrible." This time Duncan did reach out for her. He placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. 

"Anyway, that song you heard was one of his favorites. We played it at his funeral and I haven't played it since." A tear slid down her face and she turned away. 

A thought suddenly dawned on Duncan, "So when Richie asked you about why you don't drink…"

"Yeah, that's why," she told him. "I was never much of a drinker anyway, but now I never have more than one." 

"And is that why you don't perform any more?" he asked.

Her emotions under control again, she turned back to face him before answering. "Partly. Though lately, it's because I don't have the time. Between teaching, research, and my dissertation… Well, it just hasn't been a priority." 

They stared at each other for a moment before Duncan decided to lighten the mood a little, "Do you still want dessert?"

Gwen shook her head. "It's late. I should really get going. I would like to work out with you tomorrow, though, if that's okay."

"Absolutely. What time is good for you?" he asked. "I'm free all day." 

"I need to spend some time in the library in the morning, but I could be here around two or two-thirty," she answered. 

"Sounds good to me," he replied. As she gathered her things, he added, "Let me walk you out."    


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Ditto from last 5 chapters. **

Gwen's arms felt like they were going to fall off. The last two weeks she had been working out with Duncan at least three times a week. Richie had shown her the fundamentals, but Duncan pushed her to her limit and then some. Luckily for her, she had always stood up to a challenge and pushed back. Today, though, she was exhausted. After an hour, she had had enough. 

"Okay, that's the fourth time I've been disarmed and landed on my ass," she said as she stood back up. "I'm done for today. Besides, I've got some place to be in a couple of hours and I still need to shower." 

"Hot date?" Richie smirked?

"No, I don't have a hot date," she replied. "I don't even have a lukewarm date. I just have somewhere to be." 

"Oh, yeah? More research?" He rolled his eyes, "You spend way too much time in that library. You need to do something fun once in a while. Not that we aren't fun. You know what I mean…"

"Yes, Richie I know what you mean," Gwen smiled at him. "For your information, I am going to do something fun." She paused, her face more serious now. "At least I hope it will be fun." 

Duncan looked at her curiously, "That sounds mysterious. Anything you want to tell us?"

"No. It's no big deal, really," she answered quickly. "I'm just meeting a few people from school. I gotta go." 

After she was out the door, Richie turned to Duncan, "Now what was that all about?"

 As she pulled up in front of the house, Gwen noticed that her hands were shaking. 'I'm not sure I can do this," she thought. She took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then slowly let it out. 'Okay, I have to do this.' She reached into the back seat, grabbed her guitar and got out of the car. With another deep breath, she made her way up the driveway and to the garage. 

Inside, she heard the sounds of drums being struck and guitars being tuned. Another deep breath, and she stuck her head in the door. "Hi! Waiting for me?" she called out. 

Peter, her friend and colleague from the university, looked up from the instrument he was tuning. "There you are. We were hoping that you wouldn't back out."

"Nope, here I am." She walked into the garage and removed her jacket. 

"Let me introduce you." He gestured around the room. "This is Jack on drums and Mark on bass. We really appreciate you filling in for Kevin. I still can't believe he broke both arms! And we have four gigs between now and New Years." The other two men nodded in agreement. 

Gwen smiled nervously, "I just hope I don't disappoint you. I haven't done this in a long time."

Peter reached over and hugged her, "Aw, come on. You'll be great! You picked up on just about everything that we went over the other day. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess," she shrugged. Peter plugged in her guitar and they began their rehearsal.                      

Gwen had been walking across campus with Peter Harris after a staff meeting when he got the news about his band mate, Kevin. The two of them had discussed music before and he knew that she was a guitarist. She had balked when he suggested that she fill in for the injured man. Peter didn't let up and a week later he was at her house getting her up to speed on the music they were playing. Most of it was familiar and some she had played while in college. The rest she picked up with ease. Now she was going to perform in front of an audience again. 

Purposely keeping Richie and Duncan in the dark about her new activities was harder than she thought it would be. She had begged off the last three times they had asked her to go to Joe's with them and she didn't hang around after their workouts the way she had a first. Richie kidded her about having a secret boyfriend, but Duncan knew that something else was going on. 

Finally the day came, her first gig. Gwen was excited and petrified at the same time. Her last class ended at two, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to concentrate on any research or writing. Instead, she threw her boxing gloves into her gym bag and headed for the dojo. Neither of her friends was around, so she headed straight for the heavy bag. 

Forty-five minutes later, Duncan found her there, still pounding away, dripping sweat and almost out of breath. "What are you doing, Gwen," he asked her. "You look beat."

"Just using up some nervous energy," she said, trying to laugh. "There was no one here to spar with, so I've been taking it out on the bag. So far it isn't working." 

"Nervous energy? Is everything alright?" Duncan was concerned now. "You know, we are friends. If you need help of some kind…"

Gwen smiled up at the tall man. "No, Duncan, it's nothing like that," she assured him. "I just have a case of … I don't know… jitters or something."

He frowned at her for a moment, then pulling her into the office said, "Come here. I want to talk to you."  

"Duncan, What the hell…" she protested. 

"Sit down," he said as he shut the door. 

"Am I in trouble, Dad?" she asked lightly, trying to make a joke, but seeing the serious look on Duncan's face stopped her. 

He sat down in the desk chair across from her. "Gwen, have I … have we done something to offend you? Are you angry with me… us about anything?" 

She shook her head in confusion, "Of course not! Why would you think that I was angry with you?"

Duncan paused and tried to choose his words carefully before he spoke. "When you first came here, I know that we got off to a little bit of a rocky start, but I thought we got past that. Then… Well, I thought that we kind of… bonded. Then suddenly, you blow us off at every opportunity." He was leaning towards her now, elbows on the desk, as he continued, "Richie makes jokes about it, but he's hurt and I…"

"Duncan," she started to interrupt him, but he held up his hand. 

"I realize that you don't have to tell us everything that goes on in your life, but I thought that we were friends at least. If that's not the case, just tell me now." He stopped and Gwen noticed for the first time the hurt in his eyes. 

Letting out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, "I'm sorry, Duncan. I didn't know… I really am sorry." She closed her eyes for a moment, debating what to tell him. Finally, she spoke. "If I tell you what's going on, will you please not tell Richie just yet? I just don't want a big deal made out of it. Okay?"

"Gwen, I can't make a promise…" Duncan started. 

"Duncan, please. Just hear me out." She paused again. "It's really not anything to get excited over. I have been playing with a band. We have our first gig tonight. Actually, they have been playing together for a while, I'm just filling in for their regular guitarist because he was blowing leaves off his roof and fell and broke both of his arms. I didn't want you guys to know because I didn't want you there in case I froze up or I really suck at this or something." She finally stopped for breath and looked up to see Duncan grinning at her. 

"What?" she asked him. 

He got up and came around the desk, pulling he to her feet, he hugged her tightly. "I think this is wonderful." Releasing her enough so that she could breathe, he looked down at her, "I understand now why you kept this from me…us. This is a big step for you, I know. If you don't want me there tonight, will you please let me come watch some time before that guys arms heal?"

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief, "Why don't you let me get through tonight before I answer that. If I don't fall on my face, I'll let you know. Besides, this isn't really your kind of music. You might just hate the whole thing." 

"I don't know why you guys think that hate all music that isn't opera!" he said with a laugh. "I go to Joe's all the time and I have heard some of the current stuff." 

She laughed with him, "I'm not accusing you of being an old fogy or anything, it's just that most of the people there will be college age, maybe a little older. And it will probably be louder than what you're used to." 

"Okay, if my ears start bleeding, I'll leave." He realized that he was still holding her. Letting her go, he took a step back. 

"Well, I need to go shower and get ready for this potential fiasco." She reached up to hug him again, "Thanks for understanding. I'll give you a call tomorrow and let you know how it went. Wish me luck!"

"Break a leg!" Duncan called as Gwen headed out the door. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters that you recognize from the show, nor do I own the immortality concept. I just write because these stories keep rolling around in my head and I need to get them out and unfortunately, there is no money to be made from that. 

**Thanks to SouthernChickie, onlyGodcanjudgeme, and Neoinean for reading and reviewing. I love feedback. **

At ten o'clock the next morning Duncan was pacing his loft. He had awoken at six-thirty and gone for a run. He came home, showered, read the paper, ate breakfast and cleaned the kitchen. Finally, when he could stand it no more, he grabbed the phone and dialed Gwen's number. 

Instead of her normally cheery voice, what he heard on the other end of the phone line was a muffled, "What?" 

"Gwen? Is that you? Did I wake you up?" Duncan was concerned. Gwen was usually up very early. Sleeping in was just not like her. "Are you alright?"

"Duncan? What time is it?" she asked through a yawn. 

Now that he knew she was safe at home, he relaxed a bit. "It's after ten. I was just calling to see how it went last night."

"It's just ten? I was hoping to sleep at least until noon," she groaned. "I didn't get home until almost four. I forgot how exhausting all this is." 

Duncan started to get worried again, "What were you doing until four in the morning?" 

"We played until the bar closed at two, then we had to load everything up and wait until the manager got the receipts counted up so he could pay us. It took some time," she explained, yawning again. 

"Well, how was it? Did you do fall on your face or were you as great as I think you were?" he asked impatiently. 

Stretching, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I don't think I was great or anything, but I didn't fall on my face. It was okay." 

"GWEN!" Duncan practically yelled into the phone. "I need to hear more than 'it was okay'! Give me some details!"

"Duncan, I am barely awake. I can't even remember any details right now," she grumbled. "God, I need coffee. And food. And a shower."

"Well, I can at least help with the coffee and food," he offered. "You take a shower and I'll stop and pick up coffee and doughnuts. We'll eat and you can give me all the details."

Smiling at his persistence, she replied, "Make it bagels and you have a deal. See you in about half an hour?" 

"I'll be there," he answered. 

Twenty-five minutes later, Duncan pulled up outside the duplex with a dozen bagels and three large coffees. He balanced the drink carrier and bag in one hand as knocked on the door. Seconds later, Gwen opened the front door and waved him inside. 

"Is someone else joining us?" she asked eying the three cups. "You didn't tell Richie, did you?"

"No, I didn't tell Richie," he said as he placed the food on the table. "You sounded so out of it, that I thought you could use an extra cup. Also, I wasn't sure what kind of bagels you liked so I got an assortment. And three flavors of cream cheese."

"Wow, I feel special!" Gwen remarked, reaching for a cup of coffee. She removed the lid and took a gulp. "Ah, nectar of the gods!! Yeah, I'll need the extra cup. Thanks." 

Gwen took a whole wheat bagel and spread strawberry cream cheese on it. She munched on her breakfast while Duncan watched her expectantly. When she had eaten half of the bagel and had a few more gulps of coffee, she finally got the hint that he was waiting for her to speak. 

Swallowing another bite, she grinned at him and said, "Okay, it was really fun. I didn't realize how much I missed performing until we were three songs into the first set. I kind of hope that Kevin doesn't get better anytime soon."

As she continued to regale him with the details of their performance, he couldn't help but notice a light in her eyes that he had not seen before. Even when she got excited about a new martial arts move or some aspect of her research, she didn't glow like she was now. Duncan couldn't wait to actually see her in action. 

"So, when are you playing next and can I come this time?" he asked when she stopped to pick up the other cup of coffee.

"We're playing next Saturday, which is the twentieth, I think. It's at the same bar, but they are having a Christmas party." She took another big drink of the coffee, "We've got to work on a few Christmas tunes sometime this week." 

"Sounds fun. I'm planning to be there and I think that Richie and his girlfriend would love to come, too," he hinted. 

"Okay, okay! I'll let him in on the big secret," she smiled at him. "Right now, though, I have one more exam to finish grading do that grades can get out. I would like to work out later if you don't have any plans." 

"I'm all yours," he told her. "Just give me a call when you are on your way over." 

As Duncan stood to leave, Gwen hugged him, "Thanks for everything. I'll call you in a few hours."

Richie was thrilled when Gwen finally told him about the band. He agreed to ask Andrea to come to the show on Saturday. Then he informed Gwen that Duncan's birthday was on Sunday. 

"Are you guys having a party or anything?" she asked the younger man. 

"We haven't talked about it yet," he replied. "I'd like to do something, though. Maybe Joe has an idea." Just then his cell phone rang. "Excuse me…. Hello?… Hey, Adam! … You are? When are you getting into town? … Yeah, that would surprise him. He's not expecting you until sometime next week. … Well, we are all going out Saturday night if you can make it by then. … Cool!! Call me back on Friday and I'll give you the details… Okay, bye." He hung up and turned back to his friend, "Looks like we DO have a party going on!"

"Adam? I've heard him mentioned him a few times. Isn't he an old friend of Duncan's," she asked innocently. 

Richie laughed in spite of himself, "Yeah, that's a good description. Actually, you guys need to meet. He's taken a teaching position in your department."

"Are you talking about Dr. Adam Pierson?" Gwen's eyes went wide in surprise. "I've read some of his work. The translations he's done on some of the story tablets were nothing short of extraordinary." 

Richie looked at her with an amused expression on his face. Shaking his head, he remarked, "I have a hard time remembering that he actually does any work. I usually see him sprawled out on Mac's couch or mooching beer from Joe. But, yeah, I guess he's pretty smart."

She contemplated this description for a moment, then turned back to the matters at hand, a birthday celebration for her friend. After all he done for her, she wanted to make this special. "Okay, Rich. Any idea what I can get Duncan? I'm not sure where to start."

At nine thirty Saturday night, Duncan, Richie and Andrea ordered another round of drinks at Dusty's. Gwen had been right about the crowd, they were young. Richie and Andrea seemed to fit in all right, but Duncan was feeling every one of his four hundred and eleven years. He hoped he didn't appear too out of place with all of the college age kids in the bar. 

They had managed to get a spot near the stage, but close enough to the bar that getting drinks wasn't a problem. The place was starting to fill up and Duncan overheard several people talking about the band and how much better they sounded now that they had a new guitarist.  He smiled. 'Gwen has some fans!' he thought. 

Outside, Adam Pierson was circling the block looking for a parking space. Since the bar was packed he wasn't having any luck finding one close to the entrance. Cursing in several languages, he finally parked four blocks away on the opposite side of the street. Had he realized how close this place was to his apartment he might have walked. Richie had not told him exactly what was going on tonight, he had just given him an address and told him what time to be there. He had been to this particular watering hole a few times when he had previously worked at the university. It wasn't bad and they usually had decent live music. 

He felt the familiar buzz of two immortals as he neared the entrance - MacLeod and he assumed Richie. Paying the cover charge at the door, he stepped inside and scanned the crowd. Near the bar he spotted his two friends and a woman he didn't recognize. He stopped at the bar for a beer before joining them. 

Duncan had felt the buzz of the oldest immortal before he came in the door, so by the time he was at the table, he was over his surprise. "I though you couldn't be here until at least Christmas!" he exclaimed, giving his friend a hug. 

"Well, my plans changed and I thought I'd get here in time for your birthday," he said, looking around the bar. "Why are we here anyway? This is a far cry from Joe's?"

Nodding in agreement, Duncan replied, "Yes it is. However, a friend of ours plays in this band. So, we're here supporting her."

"Yeah!" Richie piped up. "You'll really like her. Apparently, she's a big fan of yours. When I told her that you would be teaching in her department, she started gushing about translations or something." Getting a nudge from his companion, he added, "Oh, yeah, Adam, this is Andrea Corelli, Andrea, meet Adam Pierson." 

Andrea shook his offered hand and said hello. Then she turned back to Richie, "Are all of your friends this good looking? I mean, I have single friends that would love to be fixed up…" 

Richie stopped her with a kiss. "I don't think so Andrea. Neither of these guys have ever had trouble getting women." 

"So tell me more about this friend of yours, MacLeod," Adam said to Duncan. "She must be special to get you into a place like this. I mean, this really isn't your style at all."

Duncan smiled, "She is special. I think you'll really like her. She teaches Ancient history and religion in the Near Eastern studies department, so I'm sure the two of you will get to know each other."

"An ancient history professor who plays in a rock band…" the old immortal mused. "I thought I'd seen everything." 

Just then the lights dimmed and the band came out on stage. Gwen saw Richie and Duncan in the audience and winked. She noticed another man with them, but Jack banged the drum to start their first song and she forgot everything except the music. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Still the same – I don't own 'em and I'm not getting paid to use them. They are purely for my own amusement. 

**Thanks to my reviewers. I'll keep writing of you keep reading. **

The evening had gone well. Gwen had enjoyed herself immensely            and had even sung lead on a few songs. She wished Duncan a happy birthday from the stage and the group had performed the Beatles' "Birthday" for him. They had also done a few Christmas songs along with their regular fare. While Duncan was pleased to see Gwen having so much fun, she and Adam had been right – this really wasn't his kind of place and it was much louder than he preferred. 

Adam was quite intrigued by this woman that so obviously had Duncan MacLeod wrapped around her little finger. He watched her on the stage, dressed in loose, low-rise jeans and an emerald green V-neck T-shirt that barely came to the top of the jeans. She handled her guitar as if it were a part of her. He had a hard time imagining her in front of a classroom discussing ancient Sumerian myth. 

In between sets Gwen came to their table to say hello and Adam had gotten a better look at her. Her hair was very thick and because she was sweating had become wavy. He could see that while not big in any way, she was muscular. But it was her eyes that captivated him. They were the most unusual shade he had ever seen – a bright, clear teal. He also noticed something that Richie and Duncan had both failed to mention – she was pre-immortal. 

One of her band mates motioned that they were going to start the next set. "Well, gotta go," she said. "It was very nice meeting, Adam. Have fun everybody." She bounded off toward the stage. 

Richie had been warned by Duncan not to call Gwen too early in the morning. At eleven-thirty, he phoned to tell her that they were having dinner at the loft that night for a more private birthday celebration. He also raved about the performance the night before, "You guys really rock!" he exclaimed. "Andrea had a lot of fun. She goes to Joe's with me, but it's a little slow for her."

"I'm glad you had a good time. Duncan looked a little uncomfortable, though," she remarked. "I told him that it would be loud."

"Yeah, sometimes he really acts his age," Richie said. "I've been trying to lighten him up for years. You've had more success in a couple of months than I've ever had." 

Gwen reflected on that for a moment before asking, "So, what do I need to bring tonight?"

"Well, Andrea's cousin works in a bakery, so she's having a cake made. Mac actually wants to cook. We tried to talk him out of it, but he's being stubborn." Richie paused. "Since Adam is going to be there, I'd say bring beer. There is never enough when he's around."   

"That sounds easy enough, "she told him. "I'll see you around seven." 

"Okay, bye!"

Later at the loft, Duncan worked in the kitchen while Adam sat on the sofa, beer in hand flipping channels. The sound of the elevator motor startled both of the immortals, since neither had sensed another of their kind. 

"Must be Joe," Adam yawned. "I hope he's bringing more beer. We may run out before the evening is over."

Duncan shook his head at his friend and chuckled, "You mean, I might run out of beer, since you never manage to provide your own." 

The elevator stopped and Duncan went to help Joe raise the gate. Joe hugged is friend and wished him a happy birthday. He limped over to a chair and sat down.  

"How's it going, Joe?" Adam asked, not moving from his spot on the sofa. 

"Can't complain," he replied. "How have you been, old man?"

Adam took a long pull on his beer before answering. "I've been all right, I guess. I'm glad to be back amongst friends." 

"Well, we're glad to have you back." Joe looked up at Duncan, "How is Gwen's training coming along?"  

The oldest immortal looked up in surprise, "Training? Does she know what she is?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Duncan replied. "She just came in looking for a place to work out and when she saw the training swords on the wall, she asked if she could have some lessons. It seems she had done some fencing and other martial arts and wanted to add to her workouts. She's pretty good."

"And it will give her an advantage if she needs it," Joe added. 

Duncan nodded, "Let's just hope that she doesn't need it any time soon." 

A timer went off in the kitchen and he went to check on the dinner. A few minutes later, he and Adam felt the warning that an immortal was near and the elevator motor roared to life signaling Richie's arrival. The gate opened revealing Richie, Andrea and Gwen. There were hugs and greetings all around. Richie went to the refrigerator to store the beer that he and Gwen had both brought. Adam smiled appreciatively. 

As they ate dinner, Gwen was seated between Duncan and Adam. She and Adam discussed the goings on in the Near Eastern studies department, myths and translations until Richie asked them to consider that they were boring the rest of the group and to "speak English for Pete's sake!"

"Sorry, Rich," Gwen apologized. "I tend to get a little carried away when I talk about my work sometimes. Let's pick a new conversation topic." 

"Okay," Richie said, "what's the plan for Christmas? Are we coming back here or what?"

Duncan started to speak, but Joe interrupted him. "Why don't you come to my house? I already have a tree up. I'll do a turkey, if everybody else will bring the rest of the stuff." 

Richie and Duncan started planning what they would bring and what time to start their celebration. Adam noticed that Gwen was being very quiet. He managed to catch Joe's eye and cocked his head in her direction. Luckily, Joe took the hint and asked, "Hey, Gwen, are you going to Atlanta for Christmas?" 

She looked up in surprise and cleared her throat before she answered, "No, I can't really it afford it financially or academically this year. My dissertation won't get written if I don't spend some quality time in the library." 

"Well, then," the older man replied, "you have to spend it with us. But you can only come on one condition."

"I hope it doesn't require me cooking," she said warily, "because that could be fatal to all involved. I have trouble making toast."

"No. I think we can leave that to Duncan since he is the self proclaimed expert." Everyone at the table laughed. Joe continued, "You have to bring your guitar and play some with me." 

"I think I can do that," she said smiling. "Thanks."

Duncan was at a loss for words. He had no idea that Gwen was planning to spend the holiday alone. Now he was kicking himself because he had not thought to ask. Richie stepped in to save him. 

"Isn't it time for the birthday boy to open his presents?" he piped up. "Then we can have cake!!"

Gwen laughed, "Leave it Richie to be thinking of more food right after all this!" She indicated the leftovers on the table. 

The group made quick work of clearing the table and assembled in the living area. Andrea had piled the gifts on the coffee table. Duncan protested that no one had to get him anything, but he was enjoying himself quite a bit. 

Adam had found a first addition collection of Robert Burns for him while he was in London. Joe gave him a coffee table book of some great photos of blues and jazz artists. Richie and Andrea got Duncan a subscription to Gourmet magazine. Gwen's present was a CD by a group called Keltoi. 

"They play Scottish Gaelic music," she explained, " and some English language stuff. They are from this area, so there are also two tickets to a concert they are having at the end of January."

"I'm going to put it on right now," Duncan said as he went to the stereo. 

Richie looked at Gwen and said, "Please tell me there are no pipes!" 

She laughed and replied, "Not on this CD. I did look at a couple that were only pipes, but I didn't want the neighbors to complain."   

"For that we can be eternally grateful," Adam commented. 

"Yeah," Gwen teased, "people might think we're sacrificing cats or something up here and call the police."

The Scot turned indignantly and began a tirade about the instrument of his native land. 

Gwen leaned over to Adam and whispered, "You know, I actually kind of like bagpipes, but it's so much fun to watch Duncan get all 'up in arms' over this."

Adam laughed, "He gets bent of shape about a lot of things. This won't be you last chance to amuse yourself. Stick with me. I love to have fun at his expense."

Duncan's rant faded as he noticed Adam and Gwen giggling on the sofa. He frowned and started to say something, but was interrupted by Andrea and Richie calling everyone to the table for cake. The evening wound down after dessert and coffee and eventually his guests left. 

After he put the remaining cups in the sink, Duncan turned off the lights, started the CD again. He poured himself a scotch and sat down on the sofa and closed his eyes. 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Any character that you recognize from the show is only mine to borrow for a short time. I am not making any money from this. 

**Thanks to all who have read and reviewed and to those on the Highlander message boards who helped me out  - you know who you are. **

On Christmas day, Gwen was driving in an unfamiliar area of Seacouver. Richie had gone with Duncan to Joe's to take the food and Gwen had volunteered to pick Andrea up. She looked at the address again to make sure she was on the right street. Finally, up ahead she saw the young woman coming out of a building. Andrea waved as Gwen pulled up to the curb.****

"Hop in," she said. Then eyeing the cake holder she was carrying she added, "I thought the guys were bringing all the food. What's this?"

Andrea settled in the seat and put the safety belt on. Placing the cake on her lap, she replied, "My mother makes the most incredible coconut cake every Christmas, so I had her make an extra. Trust me. You'll be glad that I brought it. It's better than sex!!!" 

"I'm not too sure I'd tell Richie that," she laughed. "My aunt used to make a coconut cake. I haven't had it in … Wow… at least ten years." 

"I'm not used to spending Christmas with people other than my family." Andrea remarked. "It feels kind of weird to be going somewhere else for Christmas dinner."  

"When I was growing up, we usually spent Christmas where ever in the world my dad happened to be stationed." Gwen responded. "Sometimes he was on duty, so we'd spend it with other Army families. I think we only had Christmas with my mom's family a couple of times."

"I've only been out of Seacouver twice," Andrea said. "We went to Disney Land when I was twelve and my mom took me to San Francisco when I graduated from high school. I'm not sure I'd know how to act in a different country." 

"I guess you get used to it," Gwen said thoughtfully. "I never really knew any other way to live, though." 

"So, what do you think about this not exchanging gifts thing," Andrea wanted to know. "I mean, Richie and I gave each other something, but I would have thought that Duncan, Richie, Joe and Adam would want to do something."

"I'm not sure why they aren't, but I'm kind of glad," Gwen answered. "I've either been with the band or in the library for the past week. Who's had time to shop?" 

They pulled up in front of Joe's house. "Here we are. Do you need help with that?" 

Before she could answer there were calls of "Merry Christmas" coming from the front door. Richie and Duncan had come outside to greet them. Richie took the cake from Andrea as she got out of the car. Duncan came around to the driver's side to hug Gwen.

"Hey," she said, hugging him back. "Merry Christmas!"

"Do you need help with anything?" he asked her. 

She reached in and grabbed her guitar case. "Nope. I got it, but thanks. Is everyone else here? 

Duncan sighed and looked down the street. "We're still waiting for Adam. Who knows where he is. I think he's trying to get out of having to help with dinner." 

"He is a lot younger than I expected him to be," Gwen told him as they walked up to the house. "When I read his essays, he had such a grasp of the material… the translations he's done… some of his theories…" 

He just chuckled, "Yeah, Adam is … something else." 

As if on cue, a Land Rover pulled up behind Gwen's jeep and Adam stepped out. He opened the back door of the vehicle and pulled out a grocery bag and a casserole dish. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Actually, no." Duncan replied. "Gwen just got here and I was walking her in. What have you got?" 

"I'm hurt, MacLeod. I was expecting a welcoming committee," he said with a smirk. "I have a spaghetti squash dish and beer." 

The Scot was shocked. "You brought your own beer! Will wonders never cease? It is a day for miracles!"  

 "Ha Ha! I've bought beer before." He said indignantly. 

"Only when you've been alone and there wasn't the slightest possible chance that someone else might buy it for you," Duncan said. 

"That is absolutely not true," Adam said, huffing. "I have, on more than one occasion, purchased drinks for an entire room of people."

"Maybe in some other lifetime," Duncan teased, "but certainly not in this one!"

Gwen just stood between them laughing. Finally she said, "You guys sound like the Bickersons. Come on, let's go in. And try to behave yourselves."

Inside, Joe was in the kitchen basting the turkey while Richie and Andrea cuddled on the sofa. Gwen set her guitar down in a corner of the living room and joined Joe in the kitchen. 

"Hey, you," Joe said, standing up to give her a hug. "Merry Christmas and welcome. Did you bring your guitar?"

"Yes, I did. And Merry Christmas to you, too," she returned his embrace. "That smells great." 

Adam came in, put the beer in the refrigerator and set his casserole on the counter. He peered over Joe's shoulder to look at the bird in the oven. "Looks good. Another hour or so?"

"Yep. That sounds about right." Joe replied. "Who brought the beer?"

Adam rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, Joe a miracle has occurred this Christmas. I went into a store and with my own money, purchased my own beer. Now can we drop it?"

Joe just stood there for a minute, stunned, while Gwen collapsed into a fit of laughter. When she regained her composure, she walked past Adam, smiled up at him and patted him on the chest saying, "I told you to behave."

Adam grinned after her as she moved into the living room and sat with Richie and Andrea on the sofa. Joe looked at him with an amused expression and said, "I think she's got your number, old man."

Still looking at her across the room, he said to Joe, "This is going to be an interesting semester." 

Gwen felt Adam staring her as she moved away from him. She looked up and met his eyes for a moment. Then she heard Duncan clear his throat and she looked away. Duncan looked back and forth between them with a slight frown. 

After dinner, everyone stood and stretched. "I always eat too much when I'm around you guys!" Gwen complained. 

"Yeah," Richie groaned. "I know what you mean. I am really full!"

Duncan chuckled, "Wow, one miracle after another. First Adam buys his own beer and now Richie has had enough to eat! Will wonders never cease?"

Everyone except Adam laughed with him. Joe started clearing dishes off the table, when Gwen shooed him away. "You guys cooked, the least I can do is clean up," she said. 

Andrea stepped in to help her. "Gwen's right. Joe, please go sit down. We'll take care of this." 

"But you don't know where stuff goes…" Joe started to protest. 

Gwen gently pushed him in the direction of the living room. "We can figure it out. If we need you we'll call you. Now, go watch football or something." 

As they loaded the dishwasher and put the leftovers away, Gwen and Andrea chatted about what they had received for Christmas and whether or not they would be hitting the sales after the holiday. Gwen had not had a girlfriend to talk to in quite a while. As she spent more time with Richie's girlfriend, she realized how much she had missed it. Eventually, their conversation turned to the men in the other room. Andrea wanted to know if Duncan had asked her out for New Years Eve. 

Gwen looked at her in surprise. "No," she replied, "We're playing that night, but why would you think that Duncan would ask me out?"

"Oh, come on, Gwen," Andrea gave her an exasperated look, "don't tell me that you haven't noticed that he's interested in you. I saw that big hug he gave you when you got here."

"Please, Andrea, it was just a hug," she replied. "I got a hug from Joe when I got here, too."  

"Did you get one from Adam, because he's yummy, too," Andrea asked with a giggle. 

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Don't you have a boyfriend? Cute, red hair, big blue eyes?"

"Yeah, I do, but that doesn't stop me from looking," she said with a sigh. "Besides, if you had a boyfriend we could double date and stuff!" 

"Like I have time for a boyfriend! Between school and research I shouldn't have time for anything else, but I still spend a couple of hours at the dojo almost everyday and now I've added this band. I think I have enough on my plate for now, thanks." 

"Who's got what on their plate?" a male voice with a British accent said from behind them. 

Andrea and Gwen both whirled around to see Adam retrieving another beer from the refrigerator. Both wondered how much he had heard. 

"Well…" Adam prompted, looking from one woman to the other expectantly. 

Gwen wasn't sure how to respond, but Andrea found her voice first and replied, "I was just trying to get Gwen to help me with some stuff, but she reminded me how busy she already is, that's all." 

"Okay," Adam said staring directly at Gwen. "Joe's got his guitar out and Richie is looking a little lonely. Are you almost finished?" 

"Yeah," Gwen said turning back to the sink, "we'll be out in a minute." 

As Adam left the room, Andrea turned and nudged her with a giggle. Gwen stopped her. "Just don't say anything!" She started the coffee maker and set out the dessert forks beside the small plates Joe had left on the counter. "Let's go join the guys."

In the living room, Joe was idling strumming his guitar waiting for Gwen to join him. Andrea headed straight for Richie and settled beside him. Duncan was on the sofa with them and Adam sprawled in the other chair. 

Gwen went to the corner and opened the case to remove her own instrument. She sat down on the floor next to Joe's chair and strummed a little to make sure the guitar was in tune. 

"So, what are you guys going to play?" Richie wanted to know. 

Gwen shrugged and looked up at Joe. "Why don't you start something and I'll jump in and try to keep up."  

"You got it," Joe replied. He began to pick out a melody. Gwen listened for a moment, then came in with some harmonizing chords. They continued this way each one starting when they thought of something to play and the other joining in. 

Duncan watched the two of them as they played off of each other's lead. He had seen the look on the watcher's face when he was on stage at his club. There was nothing that Joe loved more than making music. Gwen had that same expression on her face when her guitar in her hands. The light in her eyes… the smile on her lips… she shone with pure joy. 

As much as he was enjoying the music, Adam couldn't take his eyes off Gwen. How had she become such an integral part of this group? She and Richie were like brother and sister and she had become close to his girlfriend as well. Joe had another music protégé and looked at Gwen like a daughter. The Highlander was obviously infatuated with her. Yet he sensed that she didn't reciprocate those feelings. He had been wrong about these things before, but this time he didn't think so. At least he hoped he wasn't wrong. 

**I just wanted to wish everyone a great holiday (whatever ones you happen to celebrate). I will be away from a computer until at least Sunday the 28th, so there won't be any more posts until next week. **


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: If you recognize them, I don't own them and I'm not getting paid to do this.            

Sorry about taking so long to post. I had some holiday revelry and a few personal crises. I'll try to get the next few chapters out more quickly. 

It was almost midnight on New Years Eve and the crowd at Dusty's was in full party mode. The bartenders were pouring cheap champagne for the big moment. Gwen scanned the crowd and spotted Richie and Andrea at a table with a group of Andrea's friends. Duncan and Adam had elected to go to Joe's. As much as Duncan wanted to spend time with her, he realized that she would be performing the entire time and he didn't want Joe to think that he was completely deserting him. Adam knew that he could put the beer he drank would go on his never ending bar tab at Joe's, so he was keeping Duncan company.

Peter and Gwen counted down to midnight and there were hugs and kisses all around the bar. Richie and Andrea made to the stage to offer Gwen happy wishes in the New Year then moved off as the band started playing again. 

Meanwhile at Joe's, Duncan, Joe and Adam rang in the New Year by toasting each other with their respective drinks. Around one in the morning, Duncan ordered another scotch. The bartender started to pour another beer for Adam, but he stopped him. "I'm finished for the night, but thanks. I think I'm going to head home. Tell Joe I'll talk to him tomorrow." 

Duncan smirked at him, "You're calling it a night? Getting old, are we?"

"MacLeod, I've been old for a long time," he replied. "I'm just FEELING old tonight. I'll see you later." 

He past Dusty's as he drove back to his apartment and noticed that there was still quite a crowd inside. On impulse, he pulled to a recently vacated parking spot and got out. There was no one at the door taking cover charges due to the late hour. He didn't sense Richie inside and assumed that he and his girlfriend had already gone home. However, the band was still playing. In fact, they had just started a song by Squeeze that was one of his personal favorites. 

Stopping at the bar, he ordered a beer, then made his way through the remaining crowd to get closer to the stage. Gwen was too involved with the music she was playing to notice his presence. As the song ended however, she looked out in the audience and saw him. He raised his bottle in greeting and was rewarded with a brilliant smile. They played three more songs, then thanked the audience and left the stage. 

As people began to leave, Adam moved to the bar and sat down. A few minutes later, he sensed her at his side. "What are you doing here?" she asked him with a smile. "I thought you guys were going to Joe's."

"I was at Joe's. In fact, MacLeod is probably still there." He took a drink from his beer before continuing. "I was just on my way home and there happened to be a good parking space outside, so I decided to stop in."

"You must have just missed Richie and Andrea, then." Gwen waved to the bartender and asked for a bottle of water.  She drank half of it before speaking again, "So, how was Joe's? Was there a good crowd?"

"It was pretty good. Not as good as this one, apparently," he said looking at the bottles and other litter around the room. 

"Yeah, it was fun. Richie and Andrea seemed to have a good time." She finished off the water and set the bottle back on the bar. "Well, I have to go help load up. I'm glad you came by." Impulsively, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek and said, "Happy New Year." 

Before he could reply, she was up on the stage helping to pack up the equipment. He just smiled to himself, finished his beer and went home. 

The day before the semester started, Gwen was in her office finishing up the syllabus for one of her classes. She pulled it off the printer and headed out the door to the copier down the hall. As she turned right out of her doorway, she ran directly into Adam. 

"Whoa!!" she said, stepping back. "Hi! How's it going?" They had not seen each other since New Years. Neither had been purposely avoiding the other, they had just been keeping different schedules the past few days. 

Adam surveyed her appearance - no makeup, hair in a ponytail, T-shirt, sweats and running shoes. "Is this the way you dress for work, Professor Ambrose?" he asked with a smirk. "You look more like a student than a teacher." 

"No, Dr. Pierson, I do not normally dress this way for work," she replied, rolling her eyes at him. "I'm heading over to the dojo as soon as I finish up. Are you getting settled in okay?"

"I'm all ready, I guess," he shrugged. "My office is as organized as it will ever be and I seem to have everything that I need to get started. How about you?"

Indicating the paper in her hand, she said, "I just have to run some copies of this syllabus and I'm all set. Actually, I've got to get going. Duncan promised to spar with me at three o'clock. I just have time to get this done and over there."

Adam looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I haven't worked out in a while. Maybe I'll see you there." 

"Okay, see you later," she waved as she moved off down the hall. 

Duncan was waiting in the office when Gwen rushed into the dojo. "I'm so sorry that I'm late," she called out as she removed her jacket. " I was trying to get a few things finished up before the madness begins tomorrow."

"It's okay. I was doing some paperwork that Richie left," Duncan said, coming out of the office. "Why don't you go ahead and stretch while I get the swords."

"You're the boss!" she said, saluting him. "Oh, by the way, Adam said he might by and work out later. I wouldn't have pegged him for a gym kind of guy. Maybe a runner or something…"

Duncan laughed long and loud at that. "Adam running? That'll be the day. He does work out some, though. Not enough, in my opinion, but some."

"Well, not everyone keeps as fit as we do, I suppose," she said. "Are you ready?"

He handed her one of the practice swords, "I am if you are. I'm not going to let up on you any today, so…"

"Like you EVER let up on me!" she interrupted him. "Bring it on, buddy." 

They had been working for about twenty minutes when Duncan sensed the presence of another immortal entering the building. He did his best not to react to the sensation. He knew it was Adam, not only because Gwen had mentioned that he was coming by, but because of the quickening they had shared in Bordeaux.   

Adam slipped in quietly and watched as Gwen went on the offensive, attacking Duncan with calculated moves that pushed him back into the corner. Unfortunately, she got a bit too overconfident and he quickly turned the tables on her. She found herself defending her ground. Blocking the blows that the Scot was raining down on her, she maneuvered herself until her right side was facing him. She raised her sword to block a swing and leaned away. The next thing Duncan knew, her right foot landed in his stomach, causing him to stumble back a couple of steps. 

"That was a dirty trick," he managed to say as she came at him again. She had improved so much, that he was having trouble not going full out when they sparred. 

She easily blocked the next swing. "What ever works," she said with a smile. 

Adam watched with a mixture of amusement and awe. He enjoyed watching MacLeod get bested a little every now and then and that little kick had caught him off guard. Duncan had been right when he said the Gwen was pretty good. This girl could be a player in the game with a few more years of practice, although, he, like Duncan hoped that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. 

MacLeod finally wore Gwen down enough that she dropped her guard and he was able to disarm her. Panting heavily, she sat down on a mat and looked up, noticing Adam for the first time. "Got here just in time to see me get me butt kicked – again!" she said with a smile. 

"From what I could see you were holding your own pretty well," he told her as he crossed the room to her. Indicating Duncan, he said, "This big brute has knocked me around a few times in here, too."

"That's because you don't spend enough time in here working out!" the Highlander said has he walked over and sat down with Gwen. "You, however, almost had me a few times. Good work!" 

Adam grinned at them both, "I personally liked watching MacLeod get kicked in the gut. That was a nice move."  

"Yeah, I'm pretty proud of that, too," She said winking at Duncan. "Not exactly kosher, I know…"

"No, it wasn't kosher," Duncan told her, "but like you said, what ever works."

"Well, as fun as this has been, I've got to get going." Gwen got up from the mat. "I've still got laundry to do tonight."

"I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow," Adam said. "What time is your first class?"

"I have my Intro to Religion at nine," she replied. "It's a pretty big class this semester. Must be the time slot. I don't think that many freshmen are interested Pre-Biblical Near Easter Religion."

"Maybe it's the professor, not the time," Duncan smiled at her. 

Gwen blushed. "I don't know about all that. But thanks. Now I know where to come when I need an ego boost. I've really got to go now. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

After she left, Adam turned to his friend, "You were right about her fighting skills. In a couple of years, she might be able to take you." 

"She might at that," he said thoughtfully. Snapping out of it, he asked, "So, did you just some to watch or do you want to work out?"

   
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Same as before – blah, blah, blah. **

**Thanks again to readers and reviewers. **

Gwen's classes that first day had gone fairly smoothly. Her big introduction to religion class turned out to be mostly full of underclassmen fulfilling criteria requirements or taking electives that fit the time slot. She had expected that. There were a couple of students, though who had come because they were actually interested in the subject matter and were thinking of Near Eastern Studies as a major. She offered them any help they might need in the their pursuits. 

Unbeknownst to her, Adam had attended her lecture. He'd seen her in small social settings, performing with the band and just recently in the dojo, but he was seeing a completely different side of her here. She was in full professor mode – confident, professional, and erudite. She even looked a bit conservative in a simple long black skirt, black boots and a cream-colored turtleneck sweater with her hair pulled back at the nape of her neck. 

Both of them were busy with classes and students all week. It was Friday afternoon at the dojo before they saw each other for more than a brief moment. Adam arrived first and was already sparring with Duncan. Richie sat off to the side watching. He got up when he saw Gwen come in, but she motioned for him to sit back down. "I want to watch for a bit," she said, sitting beside him. 

Gwen was in awe. She had sparred with Duncan and knew that his skills were extraordinary, but it had never occurred to her that Adam could do anything like this. Both men fought as if they had been born with swords in their hands. Richie started to say something to her. He saw the look on her face and simply smiled and sat back to watch. 

Adam and Duncan were working with real swords, not the wooden practice swords that she was used to. While they appeared to be evenly matched, their styles were very different. There was more force behind the Scot's blows where Adam's were more fluid, yet precise. Aware of the audience they now had, both men tried to disarm the other without drawing blood. Neither wanted the questions that might bring.    

Twenty minutes later, both men were covered in sweat and panting. They had been holding back so that they wouldn't cut each other and at the moment neither had an advantage. Finally, Adam decided to call it a draw. Duncan agreed and they both lowered their weapons. 

Richie turned to Gwen to see if she was ready to work out, but she was still sitting there with a stunned look on her face. "Wow" was all she could manage to say. The younger man laughed heartily at this. He was so used to watching his older friends fight that he forgot how it might appear to someone else. 

At last, Gwen found her voice, "How long have you guys been doing this? I have never seen anything like that before in my life!" 

Duncan and Adam exchanged an amused glance before Adam replied, "I've been sword fighting for so long, I really can't remember a time when I didn't know how."

Richie desperately tried to keep a straight face as he looked to Duncan to see what his response would be.  In a surprisingly calm manner, he just shrugged and said, "Yes, that's pretty much how it is for me, too."

"Wow. That was really incredible," she said, still awestruck. Turning to Richie she commented, "No wonder you're such a good teacher if you've been training with these guys." 

"Well, I really don't have any hope of being that good," he said, blushing. "But if you don't mind sparring with an inferior swordsman, I'll be happy to work out with you now."

Standing up, she said, "Let's go." 

Gwen and Richie sparred for forty minutes or so with the practice swords. Suddenly, she stopped and asked what time it was. Duncan consulted the clock in the office and informed her that it was almost six o'clock. 

"Oh, I've got to go. I didn't realize how late it was." She started gathering her things. 

"Where are you off to," Richie wanted to know. "Are you guys playing tonight?"

"No," she said casually, "actually, I have a date."

"WHAT!!??!!???" all three men exclaimed at once. 

She looked from one to the other in surprise, "Sorry," she said warily, "am I not allowed to go on a date? Am I grounded for some reason?"

Richie recovered first. "I think we are just surprised because you haven't ever mentioned dating anybody before." 

Duncan was next. He swallowed hard before asking, "So, who are you going out with? 

"Peter," she replied. 

"Peter Harris?!?" Adam asked. "You're dating Peter Harris?"

"We're not exactly dating," she said. "I mean we hung out because of the band, but we've never been out before. He asked me to dinner and a play, so I'm going. It's no big deal."

"Cool," Richie said, "I think it's about time you went out and had some fun."

"Thanks, Richie," Gwen replied, "See you guys later." She waved at the two older men and headed out the door. 

The redhead turned back to his two friends who were still staring at the door. "What's up with you guys?" he asked. "I think it's great that she going out with someone." When neither of the older men spoke, he shook his head. "Well, I'm going to take my girlfriend to the movies. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye."

When he was gone, Duncan looked at Adam, "Well, I guess I'm going to Joe's. Care to join me?"

Adam nodded absently, "Maybe later. I have a few things to do first. See you, MacLeod." 

Duncan slowly walked around the dojo picking up the practice swords and other gear and placing them back on the wall. When everything was back in it's place, he locked the door and went up to the loft to shower and change. 

Gwen was still confused by the reactions of her friends to her having a date. Richie seemed okay after the initial outburst, but the way Duncan and Adam had been almost shocked at the idea didn't make sense. Granted, Andrea had said that Duncan seemed interested in her, but she had dismissed that as her imagination. Maybe she was right, but how did that explain Adam's reaction? 

Pushing the thoughts from her mind she finished dressing so she would be ready when Peter came to pick her up. 

When Adam got home he immediately stripped and stepped into the hottest shower he could stand. He was disturbed by the way he had reacted to Gwen's announcement that she had a date. Maybe it was because she was going out with Peter Harris. She and Peter had a lot in common. They had spent quite a bit of time together both on campus and playing in the band and he had noticed that they enjoyed each other's company, but they seemed to be just friends. He hated that it bothered him so much that she was spending time with someone else. 

Finally Adam realized that he was brooding. 'Damn, I'm starting to act like MacLeod!' he thought. 'I need a beer or twenty. I guess I am going to Joe's."

The people at Joe's were mostly there celebrating the birthday of a woman named Brigitte. Neither Joe nor Duncan knew her, but Joe felt obligated to send t hem a bottle of wine and play a song for her since she had brought so much business in that night. He worried a little about Duncan, though. The Scot had asked for a bottle of scotch and had barely said ten words in the hour and a half that he had been there. 

When Adam strode in and growled at Joe to pour him a beer, he had to ask what was going on. Adam and Duncan barely glanced at each other before replying in unison, "Nothing."  The barman looked from one man to the other as they both scowled into their drinks. Since they obviously didn't want to talk, he didn't push it. He'd call Richie or Gwen in the morning and find out what had them in such horrible moods.  


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Still not mine and still not getting paid. **

Gwen arrived at the dojo fairly early the next morning to work out with Richie. Duncan was nowhere to be seen. As they warmed up, Richie asked how her date had gone.

"It was okay," she said, "Peter and I are really just friends. He had tickets to a play and no one to go with. We did go to that new Japanese place across town and it was fabulous. You should take Andrea there."

The young man laughed, "Andrea has already told me that she is not ever eating raw fish!"

"They do have a sushi bar, but they also cook food." Gwen told him with a smile. "Steak, chicken, shrimp. Trust me – she'll love it."

"Maybe we'll check it out next weekend," he said. "You ready?"

"If you are," she said as she picked up her weapon. 

Later, as Gwen was getting ready to leave, the elevator descended to the dojo and a haggard looking Scot slowly emerged. He had come down to speak with Richie and was surprised to see the young woman there. 

"Damn, Duncan," Gwen said, "you look like hell. Rough night?"

Blinking a few times, he replied, "Uh, yeah. We stayed at Joe's later than we meant to."

"Well, I hope you feel better. I'm off to the library." She picked up her bag and waved to the two men. "See you guys later."

Richie turned to his friend and smirked, "Tied one on last night, huh? What did you do, drink all of Joe's scotch?"

Duncan sighed, "I feel as if I did. Joe wouldn't let me drive home. Can you take me by the bar later to pick up my car?"

The red head snickered, but agreed. "I just hope Methos feels as horrible as I do today," he heard Duncan mutter as he headed back to the loft.  

Duncan pulled off the motorcycle helmet and handed it to Richie when they arrived at Joe's later that day. He thanked his friend for the ride, got in his car and drove off. Richie shrugged at his actions and went into the bar.

"Hey, Joe!" he called. "How's it going?"

The watcher was seated at a table with several files spread out in front of him. He gathered them up as the young immortal approached. "Hey, Rich. I'm pretty good. How are you?"

"Apparently, I'm doing better than Mac and Methos," he replied. "What went on in here last night?"

"That's what I was going to ask you," Joe told him. "I was going to call you to find out why the two of them were in such pissy moods and drink most of the alcohol in my bar."

"Pissy moods, huh?" Richie said thoughtfully. "Well, neither one of them were too happy about Gwen's date last night. But, it's Gwen. I mean I'm glad she's setting out and doing some other stuff."

Joe chuckled and shook his head, "Well, that explains a lot! It seems both of these guys have a crush on our little Gwen. I wonder what they're going to do about it?"

"Whoa, both of them after the same woman," the young man mused. "I'm not even sure what to think about that. I don't even know if Gwen likes either one of them. I mean she likes them, but, you know, LIKES… You know. Should we do something?"

"Hey, I'm just supposed to watch and record. Never interfere," Joe said, laughing. "I wouldn't get in the middle of this for anything, but I'm sure going to enjoy watching."

Duncan left Joe's and started home. Halfway there, he made a right hand turn and drove toward the campus. He pulled up in front of Gwen's duplex, noting that her Jeep was there. He sat in his car for several minutes trying to figure out why he was here. What did he think he was going to say to her? Why did he think it was any of his business of she went out with someone else? 

Finally he took a deep breath and got out of the T-bird. Putting his hands in the pockets of his long coat, he stood looking at the house in front of him. He swallowed hard and slowly walked up the path to the porch. The highlander stood at the front door for a moment, again wondering what he was going to do. At last, he knocked on the door and held his breath as he waited for a response. 

A few minutes later, the door opened to reveal the petite brunette, with a tissue in one hand and eyes red and puffy. She looked up at Duncan and sniffled, a tear escaping from her eye, making its way down her cheek. 

Duncan immediately reacted, grabbing Gwen into a tight hug. "Oh, God, Gwen, what happened? Is everything all right? Are you okay?" He held her and stroked her hair, trying to calm her as she shook in his arms. Eventually, he pulled back to look at the woman he was holding and realized that she wasn't sobbing, she was laughing. 

Confused, he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. She was indeed laughing. In fact, she was laughing so hard she had new tears flowing down her face. "What is going on, Gwen? And what's so funny?"

When she could breathe again, she managed to say, "I'm sorry, Duncan. I didn't mean to worry you. Come in and close the door. It's cold out there." She pulled him into the apartment, still laughing. 

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?" Duncan asked indignantly. He followed her into the living room, removing his coat and placing it across the back of a chair. 

Gwen sat on the sofa, still trying to compose herself. She waved at the space next to her, indicating that Duncan should sit down. "I feel like an idiot now." She giggled again. "Okay, I came home from the library with copies of some texts that I needed to work on. It was too quiet, so I turned on the television and I found the last half hour of  'Mr. Holland's Opus.' Call me a big, ol' sap, but when his former students come back and play his symphony… well, it makes me cry every time."

During her explanation, Duncan had visibly relaxed and finally sat down. "So all that was because of a movie?" he asked with a chuckle. 

"Yes it was and I feel really stupid now, okay?" she replied, covering her face with her hands. "What are you doing here, anyway? Still nursing that hangover?"

"No, my hangover is much better, thank you," he said with a smile. "I just stopped by to see what you were doing for dinner."       

Gwen shrugged, "I had planned to keep working after my crying fit was over," she giggled again, "and probably heat up some soup or something." 

Putting on his best 'mother hen' face, Duncan said, "Now, young lady, that is not a proper meal. If you really need to concentrate on your work, you need some real food." 

"Are you trying to fatten me up for some reason?" she asked him. "Every time we have a meal together, I end up running extra miles the next day to make up for the pasta and desserts you force on me."

"I have ever forced you to eat anything!" he teased. "Just because you can't resist my cooking…" 

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah… So what are you going to feed me tonight? Provided, of course, that I agree to have dinner with you." 

"What ever you want," he answered with a big grin. "Where ever you want. I'm not really up for cooking tonight anyway." 

Gwen regarded him for a moment, "Is there good Chinese in this town? I haven't had decent Kung Pao shrimp in ages." 

"Actually, I know just the place, Shun Li Palace," Duncan said. "Their food is quite authentic. Are you hungry now?" 

Turning to look at the clock on the table behind her, she said, "It's a little early yet. I think only senior citizens eat at four-thirty. We can hang out here for a while, though, if you don't mind me working for a little bit before we go. I really need to get through some of these texts."

Duncan was happy to be spending any time at all with her and readily agreed. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Do you read Arabic or Kurdish or this bizarre form of Cuneiform we found?" she asked handing him a picture of a stone tablet. 

Giving her a blank stare, he replied, "Uh… I speak a little Arabic and some Farsi, but I never learned to read it." 

She shrugged, "Well, you are welcome to see what's on TV or you can dig through the CD's and find some music. I just need to work on this a bit more, then I promise to be sociable." 

Duncan got up and went to the stereo. He flipped through Gwen's vast collection of CD's. "You really do have just about everything in here. I haven't heard of a lot of it… Ah… The classical section… Mahler, Chopin, Schubert, Sibelius…" He selected a collection of piano concertos by various composers. 

Gwen looked up as the music started, "Nice choice. Oh, do you want something to drink? I'm not sure what there is. Water, juice, maybe a beer or two." She started to get up. 

"Stay where you are. I can get it," Duncan said as went into the kitchen. "Do you want anything?"

"I'll take a water since you're in there," she called. Just as he returned to the living room the phone rang. Gwen reached over to grab the phone from the coffee table. "Hello? … Hey, you. What's up? … Well, I sparred with Richie early this morning, then spent several hours in the library. I brought some stuff home to work on, but I got a little distracted," she winked at Duncan as she said this, then listened to her caller. "We're going out for Chinese. Do you want to come? … Oh, Duncan's here. … Why don't you come here and we can go together? … I guess around six. … Okay, see you then. Bye."

Duncan stood in front of her with an expression of surprise and confusion. She turned the phone off and said, "That was Adam. I invited him to come with us to eat. That's okay isn't it?"

Uh… yeah," Duncan stammered. "That's great. The more the merrier." He sank into the chair as Gwen returned to her texts. 'Wonderful,' he thought. 'just wonderful.'


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: The characters and concept of Highlander unfortunately do not belong to me. I am not receiving any compensation from this other than the kind words of my reviewers.  
  
The final strains of a Greig concerto filled the apartment as Gwen rubbed her eyes. She decided that she had studied these texts enough for now. Duncan sat in the chair drinking the beer he had just retrieved from the kitchen.  
  
"I've done all I can do for one day," Gwen announced. "I better go make myself look more presentable if we are going to go out in public."  
  
Duncan looked at her for a moment. She was dressed in loose jeans and a fitted purple turtleneck. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and she wore no make up. "I think you look great the way you are," he said.  
  
Blushing under his scrutiny, she smiled, "Well, thank you, but its a female's prerogative to primp a little. I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
He watched her walk into her bedroom and sighed. The highlander had really been hoping to spend some time alone with her and then Methos called. Duncan wanted to ask Gwen to accompany him to the Keltoi concert at the end of the month. She had given him the tickets for his birthday. If he was going to do it, then he had to act before the old man showed up.  
  
A few minutes later, the object of his thoughts emerged from her bedroom. She still had on the same clothes, but had tucked in the turtleneck and added a black belt and black boots with a slight heel. Her hair was brushed back from her face and she had applied some blush, a little eye make up and a light coat of lipstick. She was indeed beautiful.  
  
"Wow, you look great," Duncan said. Gwen mumbled a word of thanks and blushed again. Deciding it was now or never, "Uh, Gwen? I've been meaning to ask you about something."  
  
She looked up from straightening the items on the coffee table. "What is it?"  
  
"The concert tickets you gave me for my birthday. Well, the concert is on the thirty-first and I was wondering if ." Just then he felt the presence of the oldest immortal arrive outside. He winced slightly as he hurriedly continued, "you would like to come with me as my date?"  
  
"Oh, Duncan. I would really love to," Gwen smiled up at him, "but Peter already booked us to play that night. I'm sure you'll find someone else to go with."  
  
At that moment there was a knock at the door announcing Adam's arrival. The young woman opened the door to admit her friend and colleague. "Hi! Come on in," she greeted him, giving him a hug. "Duncan is having a beer. Do you want one before we go?"  
  
"Hello, MacLeod," the oldest immortal said with a nod of his head. To Gwen he added, "Sure, I'll have a beer, since Mac is."  
  
"Okay, I'll be right back," she said as she headed to the kitchen. "Duncan would you like another one?"  
  
Looking at his near empty bottle, he said, "Sure, I'll have another one. Thank you." He turned to Adam, "What have you been up to today?"  
  
"Oh you know me. A little of this, a little of that," he smirked. "What about you?"  
  
Duncan rolled his eyes, "I spent most of the morning recovering. Worked out a little and the got Richie to take me to Joe's to get my car and came here."  
  
Gwen returned with the two beers. She handed to the two still standing men. "You guys can sit down, you know," She said smiling at them and sitting on the sofa.  
  
Unfortunately for Duncan, Adam was closer to the sofa than he was, so the Scot grudgingly settled for the chair. He noted how at ease Gwen seemed to be with his friend, considering that they had only known each other a few weeks. However, she had been the same way with himself and Richie almost from the moment that they had met her.  
  
Adam was very interested in why the highlander was here in the first place. Gwen had said that she had been distracted earlier. Just what kind of distraction was MacLeod providing? He could always just ask.  
  
"So, Gwen, you said that you got distracted while you were working," Adam began, "it wasn't this guy's fault was it?"  
  
Duncan and Gwen exchanged an amused glance before the young woman started giggling again and explained, "Actually, Duncan got here just after I got 'distracted.' I had the television on." She collapsed into a fit of laughter.  
  
Duncan continued the story, "She came to the door crying and I thought she was in trouble. It turns out she's just a sap." He grinned. "It was a touching scene in a movie that brought our tough girl to tears."  
  
Gwen caught her breath, "Okay. That's enough about my sappy side. I'm hungry. Can we go now?"  
  
  
  
The remainder of the month flew by for Gwen as the semester got into full swing. Duncan and Adam both did their best to spend as much time with her as possible. Having an office down the hall from her gave Adam a slight advantage in this respect, but Duncan made sure that he was at the dojo every time she came in to work out and had started meeting her in the park to run with her in the mornings.  
  
As much as she enjoyed the attention from these two handsome men, Gwen's thoughts were not on romance. Her main focus was teaching. She had even slowed down working on her dissertation. Her friend, Sally, who had brought to Seacover University was trying to get he to commit to another year and the idea was very tempting. After moving so much in her life, the idea of settling down in a place like this was appealing. She had a good job, an outlet for her music and some of the best friends she had ever had. All in all, she was beginning to think of Seacouver as home.  
  
Saturday morning, the thirty-first, Duncan and Gwen met in the park at six. As they stretched beside their cars, Gwen asked, "So, whom are you taking to the concert tonight?"  
  
The Scot shrugged and replied, "I ended up asking one of the waitresses at Joe's."  
  
"Oh, yeah, which one?" she asked.  
  
Duncan looked uncomfortable. He shuffled his feet and mumbled, "Uh. Sherri."  
  
"Really!!" Gwen was surprised and amused. The buxom blonde had been after him since the first time she saw him. Duncan had never shown any interest in her and generally tried to discourage her advances.  
  
"Well, I was telling Joe about not having anyone to go with and she said that she loved that kind of thing and before I knew it I was telling her what time I'd pick her up."  
  
Gwen had no doubt that Sherri had never heard of Celtic music. The raised eyebrow and the smirk on her face said it all. "What?" he asked.  
  
"I didn't say a word," she protested. "Let's get going. It's freezing out here."  
  
  
  
After their five mile run, the pair returned to the parking lot. Duncan asked about her plans for the rest of the day. "Are you spending quality time in the library again?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Actually, I'm going to be a Peter's for most of the day," she said, pulling on her jacket. "We're working on some new stuff and we need some more rehearsal before we try to play in front of people tonight."  
  
"I'm sure you'll be great," he said with a smile. "I wish I could come hear you."  
  
"Ah, but you have that big date with Sherri," Gwen teased. "You really don't want to disappoint her now, do you?"  
  
The Scot just sighed and shook his head. He wanted to tell her that Sherri was not the one that he wanted to be with, but the one he did want was already getting in her jeep to go home.  
  
"Call me tomorrow and tell me all about it," she called as she backed out of the parking space. "And have fun!" 


	14. Chapter 14

Since the highlander was otherwise engaged for the evening, the oldest immortal decided to use it to his full advantage. He was going to hear a local band at a bar near his apartment. Adam arrived shortly after ten, just as Gwen was climbing onto the stage. As if she knew he was there, her eyes immediately met his. She smiled and winked before they started the first song. 

Apparently, Peter was taking full advantage of having a woman in the band. It allowed them to add many more songs to their repertoire. At first he had been reduced to begging to get Gwen to do more than back up vocals. As much as she loved performing, she didn't have much confidence in her voice. However, once she sang a few songs that were well received, she was much less self-conscious. 

The applause she received after Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" was almost deafening. Gwen's face shown and she was even blushing. As Adam watched her he thought, 'She's almost embarrassed by the attention! She doesn't even realize how talented she is.'  

At the end of the first set, Gwen tried to make her way to the bar for some water, but she was stopped every few feet by people requesting songs and expressing their admiration. As flattered as she was, she was very thirsty. By the time she got to the bar, Adam was waiting for her with a bottle of water. 

"Thanks," she said over the noise of the crowd. "Are you having fun?"

"Not as much fun as you, apparently," he replied with a laugh. "You seemed to have gathered some fans. How does it feel to be famous?"

"Please!!" she exclaimed. "I'm hardly famous, at least, not outside this room. The extra attention is kind of nice, though."

"It's well deserved from what I can see," he smiled at her. "Can't you work some Queen into one of these sets?"

"You might be surprised what turns up in one of our sets," she said grinning up at him.  

The tall man leaned against the bar and scanned the crowd. He saw Peter frantically looking around for Gwen and waved at him that she was at he bar. "I believe that you are needed at the stage," he told her. 

"I guess I better get back, then," she said as she moved back through the crowd, waving over her head at her friend. 

Adam stood at the bar nursing his beer. The bartender had announced last call fifteen minutes ago, but he was trying to wait around until Gwen was ready to leave. They had finished playing about forty-five minutes ago and had been loading up the van parked out back. He was hoping to convince her to go out for another drink or maybe something to eat. 

He had indeed been surprised to hear "We Are the Champions" in the final set even thought it wasn't specifically for him. It seemed that the women's volleyball team was in attendance and had won a tournament.  

He looked up when Gwen came back into the main room for another load of equipment. She noticed him at the bar and walked over. "What are still doing here?" she asked. 

Adam shrugged. "Finishing my beer," he said innocently. "Are you almost done loading up?"

"God, I hope so!" she cried, "I'm wiped out. I can't wait to go home and go to bed."

"Oh… well… in that case, I'll… talk to you tomorrow." Draining the bottle, he pulled on his coat. "I had a lot of fun."

Gwen reached up to hug him, "Thank you so much for coming. We may have a bunch of 'fans,' but it's nice to see a… friend in the audience." 

He closed his eyes and held on to her for an extra moment. When he let her go, he gazed at her face. She looked back at him and had just started to say something when Peter yelled that he needed her. 

Gwen dropped her gaze and turned around. She glanced back at Adam and said, "I have to go. Call me tomorrow." 

Adam wrapped his coat around him in the cold wind. He passed Gwen's jeep on the way to his own car, which was parked several blocks away. He saw Jack's van with the band's equipment in it pull out of the side street that ran behind the building. Seeing that the other band members were leaving, he knew that Gwen would be out soon and he decided to wait at for her. 

When she had not come out several minutes later, he started to worry. Walking back to the front door of the bar, he saw that the lights were out and no one was in sight. He hoped that someone would walk around the corner with her, but the longer he waited the more concerned he became. Finally, Adam went to look for her.

Rounding the corner, he heard a man shout and the footsteps of several people running. With his hand on the hilt of his sword, the immortal sprinted in the direction of the noises. Just as he reached the entrance to the alley, three young men ran out and knocked him over. Barely glancing at him, took off down the street. 

Cautiously, Adam crept into the dimly lit alley. He had only gone a few yards when he heard her moan. Moving as quickly as he could in the dark, he went around a dumpster and almost stepped on Gwen's prone body. 

She was on her side and had ceased making any noise. Adam eased her over on to her back and felt her body for injuries. His hand found more than wounds – it found a knife, still embedded in her chest. 

Cursing under his breath, he scooped her up and head for his car. There was no point in removing the knife until he could get her some place safe and much more comfortable than this cold street. 

Adam managed to get her to his building and up to his apartment without being seen. Luckily for him it was three in the morning and there weren't and others on the elevator. He wasn't sure how he would explain a dead girl with a knife in her chest to his neighbors. 

As soon as he had placed Gwen on the sofa, he carefully removed the knife. Adam knew from much experience that reviving was never a pleasant experience, but he wanted hers to be as easy as possible. Brushing a strand of hair form her face, he stared at the young woman for a moment. 'Nothing about this is ever easy,' he thought. 

With a sigh, he reached for the phone and dialed the Duncan's number. 'If I don't call him right away…' he didn't even want to finish that thought.

The phone rang four times before it was picked up. "MacLeod, you need to come over here now… It's Gwen… She was stabbed and…" The line went dead as the highlander slammed the phone down. "That went well," Adam said to the dial tone. "Nothing to do now, but wait."


	15. Chapter 15

Adam felt her newly immortal buzz seconds before Gwen took a gasping breath. She arched off the sofa then clutched her chest as the wound healed. Her eyes flew open as her brain tried to make sense of what had happened to her. 

In a panic, she sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room. Sensing the scream that what about to come, Adam called her name softly. Gwen's head whipped around to face him. "Wha…?" was all she managed to say. 

Before he could answer, Adam felt the buzz that signaled the arrival of the highlander. Gwen felt it too and grabbed her head in pain. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew that MacLeod would shortly be banging on his door and would break it down if necessary to get to Gwen. He quickly went to the door and unlocked it and returned to the frightened woman on the sofa. He sat beside her and she fell shakily into his arms. 

As soon as he heard the knock, Adam called out, "Come on in, it's open."

Duncan burst into the room and knelt in front of Gwen. She turned in Adam's arms to look at him. As he grabbed her hands, he asked, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Another immortal buzz hit the three of them. Adam looked up in alarm and Gwen closed her eyes tightly, trying to block it out.

"Now what?" Adam asked. He noticed that the Scot had barely reacted. "MacLeod, there's another one of us here!"

"I called Richie in the way over," Duncan replied. "I thought he should be here to help explain things."

A moment later the young immortal ran into the apartment, "So, it's true! God, I was hoping it was a joke or something. Why didn't one of you tell me she was immortal?"

Finally, something in Gwen snapped.  "What the HELL is going on here?" she yelled. She looked from one man to the other waiting for an explanation. 

The three of them looked at each other before Duncan spoke, "Gwen, what happened in the alley tonight?"

"We loaded up the van and the guys left. I was heading to my car when someone grabbed my bag. I tried to hang on to it," she frowned, trying to remember. "Then there was another person there… They backed me up to the wall… I was trying to fight back, but there was a knife… Oh, god!!" 

Gwen covered her face with her hands and leaned back into Adam. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Duncan looked up at Adam as if to ask if he should go on. He nodded and the Scot continued. 

"Gwen, look at me," he said softly. She lowered her hands and raised her eyes to meet his. "The men you fought with… They stabbed you and you died… But you came back to life." 

"I… I don't…" Gwen stammered. "This doesn't make any sense! I was dead?" The three men nodded. "And I came back to life? Why? How?"

Duncan took a deep breath before continuing, "You are immortal. You can die, but you won't stay dead. You won't age anymore and you won't get sick. If you are injured, you'll heal very quickly." 

"Immortal…" she said, her eyes narrowing, "as in 'live forever' kind of immortal?"

"Yep, that would be the kind," Richie piped up. "Some of us longer than others."

"Some of US?" Gwen's eyes were now very wide in surprise. "Did you say US? As in US?" she gestured to all in the room. 

"Yes, he said us," Duncan went on. "We are all immortal, too. I was born in the highlands of Scotland in 1592. I died my first death in battle." 

She looked up at Richie expectantly. He shrugged and said, "I'm just a baby. I was shot about ten years ago when I was nineteen."   

Methos held his breath for her question to him. She turned a bit but did not face him or look him in the eye. "Since they call you 'old man' I'm assuming that you are considerably older than they are?"

He answered softly, "Yes." 

She swallowed, took a deep breath and slowly let it out before she asked, "What you teach… Sumeria… You were there, weren't you?"

"Yes," came the soft reply. 

There was silence for several minutes while Gwen processed all that she had been told. Eventually, her attention came back to the present. She looked down at her ripped, blood stained shirt. 

"Um… Could I possibly… uh… clean up some?" she asked. "This is kind of gross."

Behind her Adam chuckled, "Why don't you take a shower? I'll see if I can find you something to wear." 

"There's more that we need to tell you," Duncan started to say, but Adam stopped him. 

"MacLeod, I think that we can wait just a few minutes," he said as he propelled Gwen toward the bedroom. "Why don't you get us something to drink and maybe fix Gwen some soup?"

Several minutes later, Adam emerged from the bedroom as the water started in the shower. Richie had set three beers on the coffee table and Duncan stirred the vegetable soup he had found in the cabinet. 

"She's taking this a whole lot better than I would have expected," Richie was saying. "I mean she didn't start screaming or anything."

"Well, she doesn't know all of it yet," Duncan replied. "I'm not sure how the concept of the game is going to go over with her."

"Probably better than the reality," Adam replied grabbing a one of the beers and collapsing on the sofa. "It's a good thing she's been training already."

Duncan placed a tray with soup, crackers and juice on the table and sat down on the chair. He picked up a beer and idly picked at the label. He had hoped that if this day came that it would be further into the future. 

Richie broke the silence, "So, Mac, I guess you'll continue to teach her. I mean I'll help like I have been, but she is already sort of your student." 

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said. "I was thinking of calling Amanda… Maybe have them go to a convent or something."

Adam laughed, "You must be kidding! Gwen won't go for that… besides no one but those thugs saw her die… and they're not really sure she's dead. It's not like she needs to leave town."

Duncan sat up and said, "Look, she needs a full time teacher and she needs to be safe. I think it's the best solution."

"Are you guys talking about me?" said a voice from the doorway. The three men turned to see Gwen in a pair of sweat pants and a long t-shirt her hair still wet from her shower. 

"Do you feel better now?" Adam asked as he rose from his seat and went to her.  Smiling he added, "The clothes are a little big." 

"Well, you're quite a bit taller than I am," she conceded. Crossing the room she asked, "So have you all decided my future or were you planning to ask my opinion?"

Duncan stood up and hugged her, "We just want you to be safe until you can be properly trained… and of course we won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

Pushing him back, she asked, "Trained? Exactly what am I training for?" she looked at the three of them, waiting for an answer. 

"There's more that we have to tell you about being immortal," Adam said gently. "Come on and sit down. You really need to eat something. Blood loss and all that."

Once they were all seated again and Gwen had eaten some of the soup, Duncan began again, "Before I got here and then again before Richie arrived, you felt a buzzing sensation, right? That's kind of an early warning system to let you know that there is another immortal close by."

"Okay, so we have a secret handshake, too?" she asked.

"Not really," the Scot went on. "All immortals are involved in something we call 'The Game.' We face each other in one on one combat to the death…"

"But you just told me that we don't die permanently," Gwen interrupted. 

"Actually, there is only one way for us to stay dead – if our heads are removed from our bodies. The fight is with swords. To win, you have to take you opponent's head." He paused to let her digest this. 

She looked to Adam and Richie for verification. Both of them were nodding solemnly. "Whoa!" was all she could say.  

Duncan continued, "There are rules. We never fight on holy ground. All combat is one on one. Once a challenge has been issued, no one may interfere. And we don't fight in public. Very few mortals know about us and we'd like to keep it that way."

Gwen leaned back on the sofa her eyes moving from Duncan to Richie to Adam. "Well, I'm… I just really am… Wow." 

"Do you want to ask us any questions?" Richie wanted to know. "I mean these guys are the experts, but…"

She took a deep breath before she answered, "I probably will, I just can't process anything else right now. I think I need some sleep." 

"Right," Duncan said, standing up. "I'll take you home." 

With the word 'home,' realization hit her, "I can't go home. They took my bag with my keys and everything. Oh damn, they know where I live and they have my keys!!"

Richie suddenly remembered something else, "Gwen, where's your guitar?"

"I sent it with Peter," she said with relief. "I broke a couple of strings…Thank God!"    

"You can stay here tonight and we'll go check out your apartment tomorrow," Adam offered. "And we'll see about changing the locks, too."   

Duncan frowned at the thought of Gwen spending the night in Adam's apartment, but she had been through enough for one night, so he didn't comment on it. Instead, he told Adam and Gwen, "Call me when you get up and we'll meet at the loft for breakfast. Then we'll see if anyone has been at your place. Okay?"

"Okay," she stood up and hugged him. "Thanks… for, well, for everything." 

"Hey! What about me?" Richie said with a chuckle. "Don't I rate a hug, too?"

Turning to the young man, she laughed, "Absolutely!" 

While she and Richie were teasing each other, Duncan pulled Adam aside, "She hasn't really dealt with her death yet. It's probably going to hit her later. Keep an eye on her."

The older immortal shook his head, "I've done this a few times myself, MacLeod. I know what to look for."

"Yeah, well, I just want to make sure that she's alright," he replied. "Call me if you need me for anything."

Adam clapped him on the shoulder, "We'll be fine, Mac. Go home and get some sleep."

Richie joined them near the door, "Yeah, Mac, I'm beat. We'll see them in the morning. Good night, guys."

After they had gone, Adam locked the door and turned back to the living area. Gwen had gone back to the sofa and had leaned her head back and closed her eyes. He picked up the dishes and beer bottles and took them into the kitchen. 

Coming back into the living room, he called softly, "Gwen. Come on, you can sleep in my bed, I'll take the sofa."

Gwen lifted her head to look at him, "You must be kidding. I'll sleep out here. I'm not going to kick you out of your bed."

"Look – you are the guest and you've had a bad night. You take the bed. I'll be okay on the sofa. I've crashed on MacLeod's enough times."

"I'm a lot smaller than you and this sofa is much more MY size than yours," she argued. "You won't be comfortable. I insist that you let me sleep on it. I just need a pillow and a blanket and I'll be fine." 

Adam looked at her for a moment and decided that she wasn't going to budge on this and if they were ever to get any sleep, he'd better give in. "Okay, you win. I'm too tired to argue any more." 

"There is one other thing, though," Gwen said, "Do you have an extra toothbrush?"


	16. Chapter 16

Adam awoke with a start a little after ten o'clock the next morning. Remembering the events of the night before, he rose from his bed and went to check on Gwen. Expecting her still be asleep on his sofa, he was surprised to find the pillow and blanket tossed aside and no one in the living room. Panic momentarily overtook him until he realized that he could still sense her somewhere in the apartment. Then he heard it, a quiet choked sob coming from the kitchen. 

He found her seated on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest, holding the still bloody knife. Hearing him come in, Gwen looked up at him with a tear stained face. Adam silently sat down on the floor beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders. She buried her face in his chest and wept. 

After several minutes, her sobs subsided. She relaxed into his embrace and wrapped her arms around him. They sat that way for a while, Adam stroking her hair, neither of them speaking. The ringing of the phone broke the silence. 

"That will be MacLeod," Adam sighed. As uncomfortable as the hard kitchen floor was, he had no desire to move from this spot. 

"You'd better get it," Gwen said turning her face up to his. "He seems to be a bit over protective of me. He might race over here and break your door down to make sure I'm okay."

The pair reluctantly untangled themselves from each other and Adam rose to reach for the phone. Gwen stood up and stretched as she listened to the one-sided phone conversation. 

"Hello… Yes, MacLeod, everything is fine… Actually, I've been up a few minutes and Gwen had just woken up a bit before that… I still need a shower… Okay, we'll be there in about an hour… Just have lots of coffee ready… See you then." He hung up the phone and sighed. The Scot was in full Boy Scout mode. It was going to be a long day.

It occurred to him that Gwen was standing there studying him intently. Guessing what was on her mind, he said, "Go ahead and ask." 

A look of slight confusion crossed her face, "Ask what?"

"Whatever it is that you are trying to figure out about me," he replied with a roll of his eyes. 

Gwen smiled slightly, "There are a lot of things that I am trying to figure out about you, but I have a feeling that it will take more than the hour that we have for you to enlighten me. I can wait."

Adam looked directly into her eyes, swallowed hard and replied, "You're right. There are many things that I need to tell you… and it will take quite a while." 

Gwen searched his face, trying to reconcile this man that she was coming to know with a man that had been on earth for several millennia. She had barely grasped the concept of immortality and now it was beginning to sink in that there were ancients among them. 

They remained motionless for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. The moment was interrupted by the rumbling of Gwen's stomach.  

She broke the gaze and blushed. "Well, go take a shower so I can get some coffee and food," she said giving him a little push. 

"Getting bossy with me now are you?" he said with a smile. 

"Hey, dying and coming back to life did not change the fact that I get extremely cranky in the morning without coffee and food," she replied, grinning. "Now go!!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Adam said and went into the bedroom. A minute later he came back out with something in his hands. 

Gwen started to admonish him for not getting ready, but the object he held stopped her. She looked back and forth from his hands to his face. "I have a gift for you," he said. 

In her hands he placed a sword. It was a broadsword, simple in its design and the perfect size for her small frame.  It was obviously old, but in perfect condition, its blade very sharp. 

She stood there staring at the weapon, stunned. Finally she looked up into Adam's face, asking, "Why?" 

"Because I didn't want you to be vulnerable, weaponless," he told her.

"I mean, why do have this? Did you have an extra sword lying around?" She was still in shock about receiving this gift. 

"No, I bought it for you," he stated simply.

"But, when?" she asked, "I just… I mean… all this just happened last night… this morning really. You didn't have time to…"

Adam stepped closer to the new immortal and raised his hand to brush a lock of hair out of her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. He smiled gently, "I bought it two days after I met you. I had hoped that you wouldn't need it so soon, but I wasn't going to let you be unprotected." 

Still gazing into his face, Gwen was searching to understand what he was telling her. "But you didn't even know me. Why would you do something like this? How did you know?"

"I knew the moment I saw you," he paused for a beat, then continued. "The sensation that you feel when another immortal is nearby… before you become immortal you give off that same buzz, only its very weak," he explained. "Most of us can feel it when we're near a pre-immortal." 

"I don't know what to say," she said, her eyes wide. She set the sword aside and reached up to wrap her arms around Adam's neck as his arms encircled her waist. "Thank you," was all she could manage to get out. 

She finally released him and pulled back, her face flushed. "I think we'd better get going soon."

He nodded, "I'll go take that shower now." He moved off into the bedroom thinking, 'Maybe a cold shower!'

Gwen picked up the sword again and looked at it in awe. She was still struggling to make sense of all that had happened to her in the past several hours. At the moment, though, Adam's gift and the reason behind it, was foremost in her mind.  She had only known him a short time, yet there was an intimacy between them that she had not known with any one before. 

By the time Adam emerged from the bedroom, showered and dressed, Gwen had folded the blanket, put on her shoes and was sitting on the sofa. She stood up as he entered the living room. 

"I'm going to go wash my face and brush my teeth before we go," she announced. "By the way, where is my jacket?" 

"I put it in the closet here, but you might not want to wear it," he said crossing to the small coat closet by the front door. Retrieving the jacket, he turned back to Gwen, "It's kind of… well, torn and bloody." 

She took the brown leather bomber jacket from him and inspected it. "Damn, I really loved this jacket. I won it in a poker game."

"Really," Adam said in surprise. "You don't seem the type for gambling." 

"Yeah, well… I haven't played in a while, but it's fun," she replied. "I grew up around soldiers. I learned to play cards early. I got this from a young lieutenant who severely underestimated me. Uh… I'm going to go freshen up now."

"Okay," he said as she headed for the bathroom. "I'll find you a coat of mine to wear." 

A few minutes later, Gwen returned to find Adam holding a gray duster. He helped her slide the coat on and she notice the extra weight on the left side. She looked at him, brow wrinkled in confusion. 

"Your sword," he explained his face deadly serious. "From now on, you don't ever want to be without it." 

Biting her lower lip, she nodded. 'I have to carry a sword around with me,' she thought. 'This is insane.' At the thought, she visibly tensed, her fist and jaw both clenched. She followed Adam out of the apartment in a daze. Suddenly she realized that they were on the sidewalk beside his SUV. They climbed in and he pulled out into traffic. 

Gwen stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts. Adam glanced down and saw her hand still clenched into a tight ball. He reached over and placed his hand over hers. At the contact, she turned to face him and relaxed the fist. He smiled at her as he caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. Slowly, she turned her hand and laced her fingers though his. They continued the drive, still silent, holding hands. 


	17. Chapter 17

As Adam pulled into the parking space in front of the dojo, he squeezed Gwen's hand and smiled. "Are you okay?" he asked. 

"I guess," she replied with a weak smile of her own. "My life has just become completely surreal."

He shrugged and said, "I'd like to tell you that it gets easier, but after this many years I sometimes still wake up and wonder what the hell is going on." 

Gwen sighed and started to reply, but at that moment Joe pulled into the space in front of them. She remembered the conversation from last night that mortals weren't to know about them. She glanced up at Adam with the question clearly on her face. 

"MacLeod must have called him," Adam told her. "Joe does know about us, but we trust him to keep our secret."

Joe came over to hug Gwen as soon as they climbed out of the vehicle. "How are you holding up, honey? Mac called me first thing this morning. Hey there, Adam." 

She couldn't help but smile at the watcher's concern. "I'm doing as well as can be expected. Duncan shouldn't have worried you." 

"Hey, I'm a worrier, it's what I do," he replied. "By the way, this is a… uh… stunning outfit that you're wearing. I like it." 

Blushing, Gwen looked down at her clothes. "Yeah, well, they're borrowed, but at least they're clean. I can't wait to get into my own clothes, though."

Adam finally spoke up, "We'd better get inside. MacLeod will be wondering where we are. Besides, I'm starving."

"I need coffee," Gwen said, "desperately!" 

As they entered the dojo, the sensation of another immortal washed over her. She tried her best not to react too strongly to it, but her breath caught and she closed her eyes. Adam noticed her reaction and took her hand again. Joe, who was behind the pair, took note of the hand holding and grinned to himself. 

Stepping off the lift, they were greeted by the aroma of coffee and bacon. Duncan had already set the table and poured orange juice. Since there were five places set, Gwen assumed that Richie would be joining them as well. 

Duncan came out of the kitchen to hug Gwen, "How are you feeling this morning? Did you get some sleep? Come and get some coffee." 

"I'm fine, Duncan," she said, "Or, I will be once I get to that coffee."

"Nice to see you too, MacLeod," Adam said sarcastically, "and Joe and I would love some coffee, too, thank you." He filled two mugs and took one to Joe who had seated himself on a chair then he collapsed on the couch in his usual sprawl. 

Gwen couldn't help but giggle as the Scot sputtered out a greeting to his friends. After a few sips of the coffee, she sighed, "That's much better, thanks." 

Back in the kitchen, Duncan busied himself preparing breakfast. "I'm making omelets, bacon and toast, but if there is something else that you'd like…" 

"That sounds great," she replied. "Right now, I'd eat just about anything. Speaking of eating, where is Richie? I thought he'd be at the table already." 

"I sent him by your place to check it out before we go over there," he told her. "He should be here any minute now." He continued chopping vegetables for the omelets while Gwen finished her coffee and poured herself another cup. 

Several minutes later, the immortals in the room felt the arrival if another of their kind. Adam and Duncan both looked at Gwen to see her reaction. This time she only tensed up and turned toward the door. 

The young redhead stormed into the room, his motorcycle helmet in his hands. He strode over to the new immortal and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Gwen, you know I love you like a sister and that I would do anything in the world for you, but right now I have a very pissed off girlfriend and it's all your fault!" 

She stared at him for a moment, then said, "Um… I'm sorry?"

He kept ranting as he removed his jacket, "Mac calls in the middle of night. I rush out and don't tell her what it's about. This morning I tell her that I have to come over here, but that she can't come with me, and I still can't tell her why. Andrea really hates secrets and this is driving her nuts and she's taking it out on me."

Joe and Adam sat in the living area watching this tirade with some amusement. Duncan, on the other hand immediately stepped in to protect Gwen. He moved in between them and turned on Richie, "How can you say that this is her fault? She didn't ask to be stabbed in the chest…Don't you think she's been through enough with out you blaming your troubles with your girlfriend on her?"

Duncan felt a hand on his arm. "Hey, give the guy a break," Gwen said. "He knows it's not my fault. Let him blow off some steam."

He stopped and looked at her then looked back at Richie. "I was just… I mean…I," he stammered. 

Gwen smiled at him and gave him a hug, "I know. It's okay. Thanks for trying to be my hero, though." She turned to Richie, "Would you like some coffee? Decaf, maybe?" 

Joe turned to Adam and whispered, "She's going to be just fine." 

After breakfast, the five friends settled in the living area. Duncan told them that he had called Amanda to teach Gwen. 

"I've already been working with you guys, why do I need another teacher?" she wanted to know. "Don't you think between the three of you, I might pick up a thing or two?"

The highlander sighed and looked at Joe before he spoke again, "Amanda can take you to a safe place to teach you… to holy ground…a convent, actually."

Gwen's eyes went wide in surprise. Her mouth hung open for a minute and then she exploded. She leaped off the sofa, "I don't think so!!! How helpless do you think I am? I will not just leave everything I've worked for and go to a convent!!! Absolutely NOT!!!!"

"I told you she wouldn't go for it," Adam smirked. 

"Gwen, I just want you to be safe," Duncan protested. "Amanda is quite a good trainer. You'll learn a lot from her."

"Then she can train me here," she replied, sitting back down beside Adam. "I am not going to away to a convent!" 

It was Duncan's turn to jump out of his seat, "You don't realize how vulnerable you are right now. You need to be protected and somewhere that someone can't take your head!"

"And exactly HOW am I more vulnerable now than I was two days ago?" she argued. "You guys said that you could sense that I was … what did you call it? Pre-Immortal? Couldn't any immortal sense that about as well as they can sense me now?"

Suddenly, Richie jumped out of his chair. "That's what it was!" he exclaimed. 

Each of the others looked at the young immortal in confusion. Joe finally spoke, "Um… Richie… do you want to share with the rest of us?" 

"When I first met Gwen, there was something about her that I thought was familiar, but I couldn't figure out what it was," he said excitedly. "Remember, Mac, I told you about it on the phone? That's what it was! She was pre-immortal! I guess I just haven't been around that many that weren't already immortal, so I didn't recognize it." He smiled and sat back down. 

Adam chuckled, "Okay, now that we have that all cleared up, let's get back to the matter at hand. I have to agree with Gwen. I don't think that a convent is necessary."

Before Duncan could protest, Joe held up his hand, "Mac, I think they're right. Gwen has already been training, she's stronger than most immortals at their first death and she spends almost all of her time with you guys anyway. How much more protection does she really need?" 

"Duncan, think about it," Gwen added. "When I'm on campus, Adam is there. Our offices are down the hall from each other and all of the classrooms that we use are in the same building. I leave there and come here, where you and Richie are. The only time I'm ever alone is at home and I basically go there just to sleep."   

The Scot sat back down and studied the three people on the sofa. What they said did make sense and he was probably being overprotective, but Gwen was special and he couldn't risk anything happening to her. To him, losing her was not an option. He sighed, "Okay. Amanda can't be here until next week anyway. We'll see how it goes for a few weeks." 

"Great," she said. "Do you think I can home now? I would really love to take a shower and put on some of my own clothes."

"Oh, yeah, about that," Richie said, "I went by and looked in the windows. As far as I can tell, nobody's been there." 

Joe turned to Gwen, "I think we need to change the locks for you just in case, though."

"That's fine with me," she replied. "I need to call the landlord and get the spare key so we can get in and tell him that we're changing the locks." 

Adam took the key out of Gwen's shaking hand and opened the front door. "Why don't you let us go in first?" he said. Gwen just swallowed hard and nodded. He and Duncan stepped into the apartment and quickly went through rooms. Since all seemed to be in order, he called for the rest of them to come in. 

Gwen looked around, noting that nothing appeared to be out of place. She sighed with relief and sank down into a chair. Joe and Duncan were busy looking at her door locks to determine what type to replace them with. The landlord had given her permission to install some window locks as well. 

Coming back into the living room, Duncan announced that he and Joe were going to the hardware store. Richie was about to offer to come along when his cell phone rang. 

"Hello… Uh, yeah, I'm at Gwen's now… I don't think she's really up for visitors, Andrea… Well, we're going to change her locks…" he stopped to listen to the girl on the other end of the line. 

"Richie, you don't need to hang around here," she told him. "Go make up with Andrea and tell her I'll call her tomorrow." 

He nodded and relayed the message to his girlfriend. Ending the call, he stood up to leave. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked. 

"I'll be fine! Go!" she replied. "Adam is here. Joe and Duncan will be back soon with new locks. Don't worry."

He gave her a tight hug, "But you'll call me if you need me, right?"

"Absolutely," she said hugging him back. "Now get out of here before Andrea shows up looking for you."

After the three men left, Gwen stood up and stretched. "I'm going to take a shower," she told Adam. "There's water, juice and beer in the fridge. Just make yourself at home. I'll be out in a few minutes." 

"Take your time," he said, "I'll just read your paper and listen to some music or something."

As she disappeared into her bedroom, Adam realized just how comfortable and at home he did feel here. Smiling, he retrieved a beer from the kitchen and settled back onto the sofa with the newspaper. 


	18. Chapter 18

Gwen paused at the bedroom door to take in the sprawling form on her sofa. Feet propped up on the coffee table, beer in one hand, newspaper in the other… Adam looked as if he had taken "make yourself at home" to heart. She chucked to herself as she crossed the room to the kitchen. 

"Comfy?" she asked. 

He looked up at her walking by and smiled, "Yes, actually I am, thanks."

Grabbing another beer for Adam and a bottle of water for herself, Gwen went back into the living room. She set the beer on the table and plopped down on the other end of the sofa. Without a word, the oldest immortal handed her a few sections of the paper. For several minutes they sat in comfortable silence. 

Adam couldn't help but notice how completely at ease they seemed to be with each other. He dropped the top of the paper slightly to peer at her. Even though she appeared to be engrossed in what she was reading, she must have felt his stare, for suddenly, her big, clear eyes were looking back at him. A small smile started on her face and she opened her mouth to say something when all of the sudden Gwen sat up as she felt the buzz of another immortal close by. 

"It's probably MacLeod," Adam said calmly. He took another drink from the beer and set the paper down. "However, you really never know, so I'd have my sword handy if I were you." 

Gwen nodded and reached down beside the sofa to pick up her broadsword before rising and heading for the door. Even though she kept the weapon by her side, Adam could see the tension in her arm. She was definitely ready to defend herself. 

Before she could open the door, she heard Duncan call out, "Gwen, it's just us." She visibly relaxed and let her two friends into the apartment. They set about installing the new hardware. 

The next few days passed without incident. Gwen accustomed herself to carrying her sword with her and started training with it. She was also getting used to the sensation of having another immortal came near.    

Duncan stilled worried about her when she was not with him or Richie. He felt slightly uncomfortable that she spent so much time in Adam's company. They worked together and he followed her from campus to the dojo each day for training. He knew that his friend rarely did anything without an ulterior motive and he wondered what he was up to concerning Gwen. 

On Friday afternoon, the new immortal arrived at the dojo alone. Duncan briefly wondered why Adam had not accompanied her, but he was glad to have her to himself for a change. Richie had made plans with Andrea and had already gone home. The tall Scot stepped out of the office as Gwen came through the door. 

"Hi!" he greeted her. "How was your day?" 

"It was good, actually," she replied, removing the sword from her coat. She held onto it as she took off the long black leather duster and set the garment aside. "My lecture went well this morning and I have new prized student in my Myths class. He is working is working on some stuff that might rival masters thesis. I'm so glad to see someone really taking an interest and not just satisfying an elective." 

Duncan retrieved his own weapon and moved to the center of the floor. Gwen joined him there, both hands on the hilt of the sword, circling in a fighting stance. He let her go on the offensive first, easily blocking her jabs and swings, offering bits of advice. Suddenly, he saw an opening and attacked and was surprised that his blow was deflected. Gwen's training in martial arts and boxing had taught her one important lesson – keep your guard up at all times. 

Throughout the session, they both drew blood a few times. The first time it had happened a few days earlier, she had been amazed at the healing wound. This time she barely flinched, but she had learned not to wear good clothes for training. Almost two hours later, Gwen announced that she'd had enough. She and Duncan were both drenched in sweat and exhausted. 

Collapsing on the bench, the small woman grabbed a towel and a bottle of water. Her companion sat down beside her with his own drink, "You're really learning very fast, you know." 

"Good," she replied. "I'll do anything to stay out of the convent!" 

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "So, what are you doing tonight?" he asked. 

"No plans," she answered, taking a big gulp of the water. "What are you doing?" 

Duncan shrugged, "I thought maybe I'd ask you to have dinner and go to Joe's or something."

Gwen thought for a moment before she replied, "Okay. I need to shower and change, though. Do you want me to meet you back here?"

"I'll pick you up," he said with a big grin. "Is an hour all right?" 

"I can be ready in an hour," she smiled back at him. As she put her coat back on, she replaced the sword. "See you in a bit," she called on her way out. 

Whistling, Duncan headed for the loft. He wondered again why Adam had not come to the dojo, but was happy that the older immortal had found something else to do. 

When Gwen pulled up to her apartment, she did not take notice of the two cars following her. The closest one was an older model Honda with a young man at the wheel. Following him was a five thousand year old immortal in a rented Ford Taurus. 

Adam knew that Joe had not put a watcher on Gwen yet since she was virtually surrounded by immortals and their watchers. He had noticed this man following her for the past several weeks. He'd gotten close enough to realize that his wasn't an immortal, but he was curious about the young man's interest.

Careful to stay out of range, Adam found a spot on a side street where he could see Gwen's house and the other car. He hadn't told Joe or MacLeod that he suspected someone of following the new immortal. He wanted to find out more about this individual and his motives before alarming anyone. 

About forty-five minutes later he saw a familiar car park in front if the duplex. He watched as the highlander got out of the Thunderbird and walked to the front door. Both Adam and the man he was following looked on in surprise as Duncan presented Gwen with a single rose when she opened the door. She gave him a hug as he stepped inside. Several minutes later, the pair left in MacLeod's car. 

Adam started the rental car in anticipation of following the man following Gwen. He waited for several minutes, but the car did not move. Furrowing his brow in confusion, he sat and watched. Finally, the Honda started up and moved, but instead of turning in the same direction as the Thunderbird, it went back toward campus. 

He debated following the car for a moment, but decided that there was little chance of danger from this mysterious pursuer, he headed for Joe's in hopes that Duncan would be taking Gwen there. 


	19. Chapter 19

Mike glanced up from the bar as the door to Joe's opened to admit the slouching figure of Adam Pierson. The college professor sauntered over and settled himself on his usual barstool and nodded to the bartender. Without even asking, Mike poured a beer from the tap and placed in front of his patron. Taking a large gulp from the glass, Adam finally spoke, "Is Joe around tonight?"  
  
"Yeah, he's in the office working on some stuff," Mike replied. "You want me to get him for ya'?"  
  
The oldest immortal shook his head, "No, I'm sure he'll be out soon enough. Thanks, though." Draining his beer, he pushed the glass toward the other man, who grabbed and refilled it.  
  
Adam turned around to lean back on the bar and survey the room. It was early so there weren't many people in the place and he did not see the man he had been following earlier. As he looked around, he pondered the motive of this mortal that had been tailing Gwen. There had been no reports of other immortals in the area for several months and nothing that he could dig up about her past suggested that anyone might be after her.  
  
He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Joe come up behind him until he called his name the second time. "What's on your mind, old man?" the watcher asked. "I haven't seen you this zoned out in a long time."  
  
Adam blinked a few times then responded, "Just trying to figure out some things. That's all." He paused for a moment then asked, "Say, you haven't heard from MacLeod tonight have you?"  
  
Joe peered at his friend. "Yeah," he replied, "He supposed to bring Gwen by later. Why?"  
  
Shrugging, he took another drink from his beer and said casually, "I just haven't talked to him today. Didn't know what he was doing tonight."  
  
"Sure," Joe smirked. "So, where were you this afternoon? Mac mentioned that you didn't come to the dojo."  
  
For a moment Adam considered telling Joe everything, but he didn't want the highlander to panic and pull Gwen away from . away from what? . away from who? . from him? Instead he casually told the watcher that he just had some other things to take care of. Sighing, he turned back around for Mike to refill his glass. 'I'm brooding like that bloody Scot again!' he thought. At that moment, he felt the arrival the two people he'd been thinking about.  
  
Still getting used to the immortal sensation, Gwen warily entered the bar, staying close to Duncan and keeping her hand on the hilt of her sword. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting she looked around for the source if the buzz. Adam had turned toward the door when he felt their presence and even though he who it was, he was still taken aback when he saw her.  
  
Joe watched as the five thousand year old man suddenly looked like a teenager getting his first view of his prom date. He turned to look at the young woman walking in the door and couldn't help but see her expression as well. As soon as she spotted Adam, her face broke out in the most brilliant smile he'd ever seen. Fortunately, MacLeod was too busy removing his coat to notice the silent exchange.  
  
As Gwen and Duncan approached the bar, the watcher immediately stepped in to greet them, "Hey, there, you two! How's it going?"  
  
The new immortal gave Joe a hug, "I'm doing okay. How are you?"  
  
Grinning at her he replied, "I'm great. Hope you came prepared to play tonight."  
  
Rolling her eyes, she laughed, "Can't I just stop by to see you? Do I have to literally sing for my drinks?"  
  
"At least, you work for yours," Joe said glancing at Adam. "Some people think that they can come in here and drink for free."  
  
Gwen and Duncan both snickered while Adam did his best to look indignant. Joe ushered them to a table and took their drink orders. A minute later the three immortals all felt the familiar buzz of another of them approaching and Richie and Andrea strolled in the door. Sliding around to make room for the couple placed Gwen in between Duncan and Adam  
  
Adam leaned back in his chair watching the group at the table. They were enjoying the atmosphere of the club, the music and the conversation. Andrea winked at Gwen when she discovered that the two of them had gone to dinner. Oddly, Gwen looked a bit uncomfortable at the suggestion that they were on a date.  
  
Joe watched the group form behind the bar for a while. Gwen seemed to be having a good time chatting with Andrea, Richie and Duncan, while Adam seemed to just be observing them. Just as he was about to approach Gwen and ask her to join him on stage, he saw Duncan drape his arm across the back of her chair almost possessively. The older immortal's eyes narrowed and he sat up a bit. The watcher decided that it was time to get the new immortal out of this sticky situation.  
  
"Hey, young lady," Joe said as he came up to their table, "You and I have a date with some guitars! Come on."  
  
Gwen only intended to play a couple of songs at the blues club, but she ended up sitting in for the whole first set. There was loud applause from all the patrons in the bar, but the loudest was from her friends at their table in the front. When she rejoined them, she was smiling broadly, her eyes shining.  
  
Joe gave her a hug and told her, "You really need to play with us regularly. We sound good together."  
  
"Thanks," she replied, "but I don't have time to play anywhere on a regular basis. In fact, I should really head home soon. I have a hot date with some musty old books in the library tomorrow."  
  
Duncan rose to put on his coat saying, "Well, I guess that's my cue to take you home then."  
  
Gwen glanced down at Adam as she picked up her own coat, but he was staring at the glass in front of him. Richie and Andrea bid them good night and Andrea promised to call Gwen about going out with the girls sometime. Shrugging into the black duster, she gave Adam a pat on the shoulder and told him that she'd talk to him later.  
  
On the way home, Duncan and Gwen made plans to run in the morning and Gwen filled him in on the research that she was working on. They pulled up to the duplex and while she fished her keys out of her purse, Duncan came around and opened her door. He placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked up to the apartment. Gwen unlocked the door and turned around to give Duncan a hug. Instead of hugging her, he dipped his head and caught her lips in a kiss.  
  
Startled, Gwen stepped back and looked at him with wide eyes. Finally catching her breath, she gasped, "Duncan. I . I don't."  
  
Letting her go he took a step back as well. "I shouldn't have done that, Gwen," he said in a rush. "I am so sorry."  
  
"It's. I wasn't expecting." Gwen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You caught me off guard. It's just that so much has happened in the past week and."  
  
Duncan reached out and stroked her hair and said gently, "You're right. I wasn't thinking. I'm sure you need more time to adjust to everything. I'm so sorry."  
  
She caught his hand and squeezed it, "I am still a little overwhelmed by it all. My life is suddenly very complicated. You and Richie and Joe and Adam have been great, but I need to figure some things out . you know . on my own."  
  
"I understand," he replied, "A relationship . on top of everything else, I can see how it could."  
  
"Yeah," Gwen said softly. "Um. so, do you still want to run in the morning?"  
  
The Scot's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Of course! Seven o'clock in the park?"  
  
"I'll meet you there," answered the young woman, "I probably won't make by the dojo for training, though. I really have a ton of work to do. and laundry and all that other stuff I've been neglecting."  
  
"I guess I can let you off for one day," he grinned, "just don't make a habit of it."  
  
"Well, I need to go to sleep, then," Gwen said. She gave Duncan a quick hug, said good night and closed the door. She leaned her forehead against the door for a moment, then sighing she got ready for bed.  
  
  
  
After running with Duncan the next morning, Gwen showered quickly and loaded her laundry and her research materials into her jeep and headed for campus. Luckily, it was still early and she found a parking space close to the front of the library. Several spaces back an old Honda pulled in, the driver watching her intently. Gwen wrapped her coat around her, grabbed her backpack and headed inside. The man in the Honda waited several minutes then followed.  
  
At the corner sat another man in a rented Ford Taurus watching the two people enter the library. He debated what to do. Should he follow them into the building, alerting the woman to his presence? He finally decided to wait outside for a bit to see if either of them left. It was just over two hours before the mystery man emerged and left in his car. Adam followed the Honda to an apartment complex about a mile away from the campus. The man went into a second floor unit and closed the door.  
  
Adam sat in the car and considered his options. A part of him wanted to call Joe and have a watcher put on Gwen today, although he knew that even if something happened the watcher wouldn't interfere. He thought about telling Richie, so that they could both keep an eye on this guy. Shaking his head, he discarded both ideas. Richie and Joe would insist that he tell MacLeod and he wasn't ready to do that. Perhaps he'd have an ally when Amanda arrived.  
  
He waited for another hour and a half in the complex parking lot before driving back to campus. Gwen's jeep was still in the spot near the library. As Adam drove around the university, he couldn't help but laugh. He had been expecting to spend a few quiet months hanging out with Joe, listening to some blues, drinking Mac's beer, teaching a bit. Now here he was, tailing a man who has been following a new immortal who came to in his own apartment.  
  
'So much for lying low and not getting involved,' he thought. 'That damned Boy Scout was rubbing off on me. Of course, he would have taken her to holy ground or at least pulled her out of harms way.'  
  
Finally, he pulled his car into a space close to the jeep and went into the library. He strolled around for a bit before going into the stacks where he knew he would find Gwen. He had sensed her presence as soon as he had climbed he stairs to the third floor, but he already knew where she would be.  
  
The sensation of the arrival of another immortal had momentarily frightened Gwen, but looking around she saw several other people near by. 'Surely no one wants to pick a fight here?' she thought. Nevertheless, she slid her hand into the coat that was hanging on the back of her chair. Keeping her eyes on the entrance, her had grasped the hilt of the hidden sword. Letting out an audible sigh of relief, she watched as Adam strolled over and sat across the table from her.  
  
"Hi, how's the research coming?" he asked.  
  
"It's okay," she replied. "I'm not really finding what I need, though."  
  
Adam smiled at her, "Do you want to pick my brain? I can give you some first hand information."  
  
Smiling back she asked, "Can I cite you as a source? I'm not too sure how that would go over."  
  
"Ah. good point," he said with a nod. "Are you almost finished for today? I could use some lunch. Come on. I'll buy."  
  
"I'd like that," she replied, "except that I have a pile of laundry in my car that I still need to do."  
  
He thought for a moment and finally said, "There are laundry facilities in my building. We'll pick some Chinese on the way and maybe a video. Let's go."  
  
"Do I get any say in this?" Gwen asked, amused.  
  
"No," he grinned, "I'm pretty much taking over."  
  
She looked at him for a few seconds, grinned back at him and said, "Okay, but let's get Thai and I think me asking you questions is going to be information enough, so we probably won't need a movie. And you get to carry my laundry in." 


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry for the long delay. It seems that my muse took a vacation and now she's only back on a part time basis. I may have to increase her pay to get her to stick around for longer periods of time. Thanks to all those who read and review. I'll try to get the next installment out more quickly. 

As the pair emerged from the library, Adam scanned the surrounding area for the now familiar Honda. He spotted it half a block back on the other side of the street, the same young man in the driver's seat. They neared Gwen's car the Honda's engine started. 

"Where's your car?" she asked Adam. She didn't see the Land Rover parked anywhere on the street. 

"I… uh… it's not running right now, so I have a rental," he stammered. "Do you want to follow me to the restaurant?" 

"Sure," Gwen replied. "Which car are you in?"

He indicated the Taurus parked near her Jeep. Adam watched the man in the Honda as they got into their cars. He pulled out and passed Gwen so that she could follow him. He noted that the Honda also started moving behind them. 

They drove a few miles to the Thai restaurant the Honda staying with them the whole way. Adam saw it parked to the side of the building as they went in to order their food. Gwen didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, so he didn't mention it. 

The man watched the couple as they entered the building. His hands were balled into tight fists and he clenched his jaw waiting for them to come into view again. Twenty minutes later his face darkened as the college professors exited, laughing at a shared joke. He started his car and prepared to tail them again. 

As Adam parked near his apartment building he watched the Honda pass him and circle the block. Gwen found a space close by and started pulling her laundry out of the Jeep. Adam grabbed the bag of food and moved to help her with the basket. He watched as the Honda made another pass when they got to the door of the building. Once inside, they headed down to the laundry room to start Gwen's wash, then head up to Adam's apartment for lunch.  

Half an hour later, the two immortals moved from the table to the sofa. Gwen had kicked off her shoes and was sitting cross-legged on one end while Adam lounged on the other. They had been discussing basic life in Ancient Sumer, as Adam remembered it – the houses, the food, the drink. 

After a slight lull in the conversation, Gwen finally asked, "So, exactly how old are you?" 

Adam's eyes widened and he swallowed mouthful of beer before he answered, "I don't know exactly. Everything before I took my first head is pretty hazy. That was about five thousand years ago, give or take a few hundred years."

Gwen's only reaction to this was a raised eyebrow. She studied him for a few more moments. "What did you do before you went to Ur? I mean… you said that was around twenty-one hundred B.C. Where were you before that?"

"I roamed around the desert mostly… lived with several nomadic tribes. …went to Egypt for a while… watched them build some pyramids," he replied casually.

It was Gwen's turn to show a bit of surprise. Both eyebrows went up, but she smiled, "You say that like it's no big deal. You saw the pyramids being built?" 

"Well, I helped some, too," he said. "I've been a slave, a scribe… I've done a little bit of everything over the years, I guess."

She paused and considered her next question. "What was your name then? Or have you always gone by Adam?"

The oldest immortal paused an equal amount of time before answering her, "The earliest name I know that I used was Methos."

"Methos," she said, testing the name out. Nodding, she added, "It suits you… Methos." 

"There are very few people who know me by that name," he explained. "I don't use it in public. MacLeod, Richie, and Joe all know. Most immortals believe that Methos is a myth. If it was commonly known that there was a five thousand year old quickening to be had…"

"You'd be hunted," Gwen interrupted. "You didn't have to tell me, you know. I understand that you have…  secrets."

"I wanted you to know," he told her softly. They looked at each other intently for several moments before Methos spoke again, "There are other things I want to tell you…about things that I've done… in my past…"

Before he could finish, they sensed the presence of another immortal nearby. Both of them rose and reached for their weapons. Adam took the position beside the door and motioned for Gwen to move to the other side of the room. A tense moment passed as they gripped the hilts of their swords. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and a voice called out, "You can't hide from me, Methos! I know you're in there!" 

Adam sighed with relief and reached to open the door until he saw Gwen looking at him in confusion and fear. "It's just Amanda," he told her. "She basically harmless… to us anyway."

"Open this damned door right now, you big lout!" the female voice shouted through the door. 

Gwen couldn't help but smile and she shrugged at Adam whose hand was still on the doorknob. Grinning he raised his sword again as he swung the door open. He yanked the tall woman into the apartment by the arm and held the blade to her throat. 

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he growled at her. "How did you know that it was really me in here? It could have been anybody! And what did I tell you about yelling my name in public?" 

Amanda's brown eyes were wide as the ancient immortal berated her, "I… of course, I knew it was you… I mean…"

Methos lowered the sword and turned around to his guest, "Gwen, meet Amanda. Amanda, this is Gwen."

The young immortal had lowered her sword, but was still on guard. Her bright eyes were wide at meeting another woman immortal. The older woman regarded her for a moment then moved across the room, her hand extended. "Hi. Sorry about all that… I was just a little impatient. I'm Amanda Dareiux."

Taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly, Gwen replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm Gwen Ambrose."

"So, Amanda, why are you here?" asked Methos as he steered the two women toward the living area. "I thought you'd go straight to MacLeod's."

"Actually, I did go to Duncan's place first, but no one was there," she answered him. "I also drove by Joe's and since I didn't see either of their cars, I decided you might know where they were."

Methos shrugged and looked at Gwen, "I haven't talked to either of them today. Did Mac say what he was doing today?"

"We didn't really talk much this morning," she said. "I was in a hurry to get home, shower and get to the library. He didn't mention any plans for the day, though."

Amanda's eyebrows shot up at Gwen's statement about 'this morning.' Seeing the surprised look in the older woman's face, she quickly explained, "We met in the park to run at seven and I left as soon as we were finished. There just wasn't time for conversation." 

"Oh, well, I wonder where he could be?" she mused, wandering around the apartment. Suddenly, she turned her attention back to the two immortals in the room. "So, what did interrupt?" she asked winking at Methos. 

The oldest immortal blushed slightly and glanced at Gwen who still had her eyes fixed on Amanda. "You didn't interrupt anything except some conversation and laundry," he told her. 

At the mention of laundry, Gwen jumped up, "Oh, crap! I've got to go get my stuff out of the dryer. I'll be right back." 

As soon as she was out the door, Methos turned to Amanda, "I need your help!"

"Ha! I knew there was something going on!" she exclaimed, "Isn't she responding to your many charms?"

"No, Amanda, it's nothing like that," he sighed. "Just listen for a minute. Someone has been following Gwen for the past month or so. I got close enough to know that he's not one of us, but I can't find anything else out about him. I just need help keeping an eye on her, in case he decides to do something else." 

"Are you sure it's not her watcher?" she wanted to know. "Have you asked Joe?"

"Yes, I did ask and he said that since we're around all the time that there was no need for her to have her own yet," explained Methos. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I haven't told Joe, Richie or Duncan about this. I was afraid they would insist that you take her to that convent and I don't want that to happen." 

Amanda's eyes narrowed as she regarded the man in front of her. "When MacLeod first called me about teaching Gwen, I got the impression that he had a thing for her," she said. "I was surprised to find her here with you. Are the two of you fighting over her?"

Shaking his head, Methos leaned back, "I know that Duncan has feelings for her, but Gwen seems to consider him a friend. At least, I don't think that she returns his feelings." 

Amanda smiled, "And what about your feelings for her? Does she return those?"

Before he could answer, they sensed Gwen coming back to the apartment. Methos got up to open the door for her. Amanda watched Gwen smile at him as he took the basket from her. The electricity between them was almost palpable. 

The taller woman smiled to herself. This young immortal may have turned Duncan's head, but her heart belonged to Methos. It looked like it would be up to her to keep the Scot otherwise occupied so he wouldn't mind so much.  


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry for the long delay, my muse is demanding more money AND a dental plan!! While we're working out those details, she's only helping me part time. I hope to have the labor negotiations worked out soon. In the mean time, this is what we've been working on.  I'll get more out soon I promise. Thanks for your patience. 

As Gwen, Adam and Amanda entered the dojo they all felt the buzz indicating that another immortal was in the building. The light in the office was not on and no one appeared to be in the main room. All three were silent for a moment… then they heard the creak of a step above them. 

Amanda winked at her two companions and crept to the bottom of the stairs and called out, "What are you doing, MacLeod?'

At the top of the stairs, Duncan breathed a sigh of relief and continued his descent with his sword now by his side. "Amanda! What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you couldn't be here until next week." 

"I finished up what I was doing and decided to surprise you," she replied. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Duncan saw the other two immortals standing behind Amanda. Both wore expressions of amusement. "I am surprised and happy to see you as always," he told her as she grabbed him into a hug and planted a big kiss on his cheek. The highlander blushed furiously and tried to extricate himself from her arms. 

Looking up at Adam and Gwen he remarked, "I didn't expect to see either one of you here today."

"Well, I hadn't planned to be out of the library yet," she said, elbowing Adam in the ribs, "but I got kidnapped and forced to eat Pad Thai and spring rolls."

"Hey, I wanted Chinese!" he exclaimed. "You're the one who insisted on going to the Siamese Plate. And you got your laundry done during your lunch." 

Rolling her eyes at him, she turned back to Duncan, "Well, he said he'd pay! Who am I to turn down free food?" 

Trying to keep his tone light, he asked, "So, the two of you have been together all afternoon?"

Gwen glanced up at Adam before she replied, "Pretty much. Adam was giving me some anecdotal information about the city of Ur. Not that I can really use any of it as real research." 

"Then I showed up and interrupted everything," Amanda added. "I left my luggage in the office since you weren't here and I thought Adam might know where you were. Of course, he almost took my head off as I came in the door…"

Again, the oldest immortal had to jump to his own defense, "I only did that because you were pounding on the door and yelling loud enough to wake the dead!" 

"Well, I know how hard it is to get your attention sometimes," she pouted. "And I wasn't all that loud, was I?" 

"You were pretty loud, Amanda," Gwen told her. "But you made quite an entrance." 

"I always have been good at making an entrance," she said with a smile. Winking at Duncan, she added, "It's one of my many talents." 

Gwen had removed her coat and taken out her sword. She set it down on the bench and took off her sweatshirt as well. Both men watched appreciatively as she stretched to prepare for her workout. Amanda rolled her eyes at them and stepped over to the young woman. "Since neither of these two oafs seem too interested, I'll spar with you. I'd like to see of they've taught you anything." 

"I'll have you know…" Duncan began. Adam cut him off and motioned for them to sit down and watch. 

Amanda removed her own outer garments and had just pulled out her weapon when Gwen went on the attack. The older woman was surprised, but managed to block the swings coming her way. For several minutes she stayed on the defensive, making note of her opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Seeing an opening, she finally made a move inside that was easily deflected. MacLeod had not been exaggerating this girl's prowess. Gwen was far ahead of most new immortals. 

As the fight progressed, the two men sat tensely on the bench. Neither had expected Gwen's sudden attack, nor had they thought that the two women would be so evenly matched. Amanda's grace and acrobatic skill and Gwen's lifetime of martial arts training put them on fairly even ground. Even though Amanda had been using a sword for more than a thousand years, she tended to rely on trickery rather then real skill. 

Gwen was the first to draw blood – a slice to the upper arm. Not for the first time since they began, Amanda was taken by surprise. A few minutes later she managed to retaliate with a cut to Gwen's thigh. The younger woman dropped and rolled out of the way of the next blow to allow her leg to heal a bit before getting back onto her feet. 

After twenty-five minutes, neither woman had let up at all and neither had any clear advantage. Both were breathing heavily and dripping with sweat. Duncan could see that they were near exhaustion and finally stepped in to stop them. They each lowered their swords and walked around, panting heavily. 

"Well, I see you've learned something after all," Amanda said, still trying to catch her breath. "Duncan always has been a good teacher."

Handing each of them a bottle of water, the Scot replied, "Actually, most of that was Gwen. She already had a lot of training in self-defense and had done a little fencing. But Richie and I have taught her a few things."

"Plus, she has good instincts," Adam added as he handed Gwen a towel. "That can be more important than training sometimes."

Gwen mopped the sweat off her face and finished the water. She looked at Duncan and asked, "So, are we going to work out or not?"

"After all that you still want to work out?" Amanda gasped. "That wasn't enough for you?"

"I'm just getting warmed up," Gwen shrugged. "Duncan thinks I need to train as much as possible… I'm here… let's go." 

Amanda looked at MacLeod as if to say, 'Is she serious?' Amused, he looked back at her and shrugged. Before either of them could respond, Adam drew is sword and stepped forward. 

Settling herself into a fighting stance, Gwen grinned as she waited for him to make the first move. They circled each other several times before Adam struck. Before, when they had sparred, he held back, instructing as he went, but after the performance she had just given with Amanda, he decided to use her confidence against her. Raining blow after blow on her, she stayed in the defensive and desperately watched for an opening. 

The other two immortals had moved off to the side to watch this training session. "Quite the little over achiever, isn't she," Amanda whispered. "Are you sure she just became immortal a week ago?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he replied. "She has been training in various forms of martial arts pretty much all of her life. Working with a sword just built on that." He paused for a moment to watch the two battle, then added, "But yeah, she was getting a bit cocky. I think Methos is about to take care of that."

For ten minutes Adam kept Gwen on the defending herself. She blocked blow after blow while she struggled to keep her footing and her head. At last she thought she had found an opening. She had taken a step away from Adam and his sword was raised when she lunged. The next thing she knew, her own weapon was across the room and she was on her back on the floor. 

Adam had not even broken a sweat. He stood over Gwen, point if his sword at her throat, his face hard and cold. "Get up and go get your sword."

Gwen glanced at Duncan and Amanda before she pushed herself up off the floor. Duncan did his best to keep his face expressionless. Amanda just looked smug. After she retrieved her weapon, Gwen turned around to Adam. She was struggling to keep from showing the fear that she felt. She squared her shoulders and faced him. 

The oldest immortal moved to stand in front of her. "Confidence is good," he told her. "Over-confidence will get you killed. Now, lets work on that opening move you used on Amanda."

Adam watched as she executed the move in slow motion and corrected her position and stance at several points. They went through a few more attack scenarios in the same manner.  

As they continued, Amanda leaned back against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. Duncan leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He watched for a few more minutes before Amanda nudged him, "Is she always like this?"

Turning to look at her, he asked, "What do you mean? Like what?" 

"Such a … go getter," she shrugged. "I mean… she's good, but doesn't she ever give up?"

"Actually, no," MacLeod replied. "I don't think she does. That's one of the things I like about her."

"Hmmmm… This could be interesting," Amanda mused to herself. A bit more loudly, she said, "Well… Why don't you help me get my luggage upstairs so I can freshen up, then you can take me somewhere nice for dinner."

She didn't notice that Adam and Gwen had stopped their lesson and walked to the bench where she and Duncan were seated. "We'll help you with the luggage," Gwen offered. 

MacLeod looked from one woman to the other, a bit of panic on his face. "I… uh… that is… were you planning to stay here?" 

Amanda batted her eyes at him, "Why Duncan, honey, I _always_ stay with you when I'm in town. Where else would I stay? Unless of course, you have another girlfriend that you didn't tell me about? I mean, if there's someone else…" 

"Well… er… that is…" Duncan stammered, "No, there's not… um…" Finally he sighed, "Okay, let's see how much stuff you have this time." 

"Wonderful!" Amanda exclaimed as she lead the way into the office. "I think Italian would be great for dinner. Is Anton's still open? They have to most delightful selection of wines." 

Amanda continued to prattle on about the most expensive Italian restaurant in town as they gathered up her five bags and loaded them on to the lift. The Scot looked at Adam and Gwen and asked, "Do you guys want to meet us here? That way we can all ride together."

Before wither of them could answer, Amanda said, "Oh, Duncan! I was hoping it would just be the two of us! I haven't seen you in the longest time and we really need to catch up. Maybe we can meet the two of them for lunch tomorrow or something." 

Gwen quickly piped up, "I have some work that I need to do. You guys go ahead and we'll see you tomorrow."

Duncan frowned as he closed the door to the lift and watched Gwen and Adam move off to collect their things to leave. He was still bothered by them spending so much time together, but with Amanda here, there was little he could do about it. He just hoped that Gwen had meant what she said last night about not getting into relationship.    


	22. Chapter 22

As the elevator rose to the loft, Gwen and Adam moved to retrieve their things to go. Adam watched Gwen put on her outer garments and place her sword in her coat. She reached down to pick up her bag and felt his eyes on her. Looking up at him, she smiled. "What?" she asked. 

A little startled to be caught staring, he cleared his throat and replied, "Oh, I was … just wondering if you'd like to go get dinner. I mean, since Duncan and Amanda have decided to ditch us. Unless of course you really have a lot of work to do…"

Gwen regarded him briefly before shrugging, "I could eat. I'll even let you pick this time."

Grinning broadly, he grabbed her hand and led her out of the dojo, "I'm in the mood for pizza and beer, I think."  

"Sounds good," she replied. "I need to go home and shower first, though. I'm sweaty and… well, all icky." 

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Icky?" he chuckled. "Okay, I'll follow you to your place and wait for you to get ready." 

"Let's go, then," she said. "Now that you've mentioned pizza, I'm hungry."

As he got into his car, Adam spotted the now familiar Honda idling down the street. "Let him follow us,' he thought. 'I don't plan on letting her out of my sight, so I doubt he make any kind of move.' However, he kept watching the car follow as he pulled out behind Gwen.   

Meanwhile, in the loft, as Amanda dug through her suitcases for the perfect outfit to wear, she kept up a steady stream of chatter about her whereabouts the past several months.

 "…and I told Gabrielle that the painting was a forgery, but she insisted that her brother wouldn't lie to her. So, I was forced to bring in an expert, which he was not too happy about, of course." She paused for a breath and noticed Duncan peering out the window, a glass of scotch in his hand. "MacLeod, have you heard anything that I have said?" 

When he heard his name, the Scot jumped slightly and turned around, "I'm sorry. What did you say?" 

Amanda sighed heavily, "Honestly, MacLeod! You ask me to come all this way, and then you completely ignore me. I'm starting to think that you aren't happy to see me at all!" 

Duncan wiped his free hand over his face and took another sip of his scotch before answering her, "It's not that I'm not happy to see you… It's just… When I asked you to come, I thought Gwen… Well…" 

Padding over to him and taking the drink from him, she said, "You thought, what? That Gwen would agree to go the convent? Or that by the time I got here, the two of you would be an 'item'? Or that I'd help you get between Gwen and Methos?" 

MacLeod stared at her. He couldn't believe that she had picked up on all of that in the afternoon that she had been here. He sat down heavily on the sofa. Amanda joined him there. 

"Duncan," she said softly, "I could tell from the way that you talked about her on the phone that you had feelings for her. I was prepared to back off if I thought that there was something going on with the two of you. But, I've seen her with Methos and so have you." 

"Yeah," he said, "and that's what bothers me. Methos doesn't do anything without an ulterior motive. What is his interest in her?" 

"Has it occurred to you that he really likes her?" Amanda wanted to know. "He is just as concerned with her safety as you are."

Duncan looked at her doubtfully, "I know that he bought her the sword, but…"

"Mac, he told me how much he wants to protect her," she said patiently. "And you saw him working with her today. He wants her to be able to protect herself." 

"I still wish we could convince her to go somewhere with you to train," he told her. "I think she'd be safer." 

"Are you kidding? She'd end up teaching me!" exclaimed Amanda. "Gwen already has great skills. I mean, I was almost disarmed by a kid who's been immortal less than a week!"

"Okay, fine," Duncan finally conceded. "She's going to get better training here. That doesn't explain Methos spending all this time with her. He wants us to believe he's helping with her research?"

Amanda paused for several moments, choosing her words carefully, "Um… Duncan? I'm pretty sure he's told her things… like his real name."

MacLeod's eyes widened in surprise, "What? Are you serious?"

"Well, when I got to his apartment, I yelled out 'Methos' and when he let me in he told me not to do that in public," she explained. "Gwen didn't seem confused by that and he didn't explain it to her. So it appears that she already knew the name."

"Why would he tell her…" he mused.

"I think he told her because he trusts her," she replied. "Maybe she asked him if he had used other names. Whatever the reason, her told her the truth." 

Amanda moved off to finish getting dressed. Duncan rose and refilled his scotch glass. At the window he got lost in his thoughts as he watched the rainfall heavily on the city. 

As Gwen and Adam pulled up to the duplex, the rain began to come down in sheets. They emerged from their cars and ran for the shelter of the porch. The man in the blue Honda watched, eyes narrowed, as they entered the apartment together. He seethed at the thought of her laughing, having fun, being happy. For several minutes he sat and stared at her front door, his breathing shallow, fists clenched. Slowly, he relaxed, started his car and drove off. 

Inside, Adam took their wet coats and hung them on the coat rack near the door while Gwen got a towel for his wet hair. 

"Why don't we order a pizza instead of going back out in this mess?" Adam asked. "Unless, of course, you don't have any beer…"

"Yes, I have beer!" she said with a laugh. "Help yourself. And why don't you go ahead and call in the order while I shower. The menu is on the fridge." 

From the kitchen, Adam called out, "What do you want on the pizza?" 

"Anything but anchovies and black olives," came the reply from directly behind him. 

Adam spun around to find Gwen standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "I thought you were going to take a shower."

Smiling, she answered, "I am. I just wanted to make sure you found everything that you needed. Why don't you put on some music or something, too? I'll be out in a few minutes." 

Taking a long drink from the beer and a deep breath, Adam finally moved from the kitchen to the living room. He placed the order for their dinner, set the beer down on the coffee table and turned on the stereo. He flipped through Gwen's CDs until something caught his eye. Placing the disk in the player, he pushed the play button and settled himself onto the sofa. 

Ten minutes later, Gwen opened her bedroom door to see a five thousand year old immortal lounging on her sofa, eyes closed, clutching a beer. The jazzy blues of Joan Armatrading came softly from the speakers. So as not to disturb Adam, she padded quietly across the room, but he opened his eyes just as she reached him. 

She stopped as he looked up at her. Her still damp hair hung loose to the shoulders of the green vee necked t-shirt she wore over black knit pants. Gwen smiled down at him. "What kind of pizza did you order?" she asked as she went into the kitchen for drinks. 

Smirking, Adam replied, "Anchovy and black olive."

She appeared at the kitchen door and stuck her tongue out at him, "Liar." 

He grinned at her and said, "You'll just have to wait and see." Noticing the extra beer in her hand he asked, "Is that for me?"

"It was," the young woman answered as she crossed to the other end of the sofa. "Now we'll just have to wait and see." 

"Ha ha! Very funny," he said reaching for the beer. Gwen laughed and backed up out of his reach. Adam advanced towards her on the sofa as she continued to pull away from him holding the beer bottle over her head. Finally, when he was leaning over her to reach up to grab the bottle from her hand, his face was inches from hers. Their eyes locked and neither of them moved. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Gwen cleared her throat and said, "The pizza's here." Not breaking eye contact, Adam pushed himself back to a seat position. Gwen continued to gaze back at him until the bell rang second time. Blinking, she got up and went to her purse for her wallet. 

"What are you doing?" he asked. 

Gwen turned around, confused and replied, "I'm going to pay the guy for the pizza?" 

Getting up, he reached for his own wallet, "Let me get this…"

"No," she interrupted. "You paid for lunch, I'll get dinner. Sit back down." 

She paid for the food and retrieved plates and napkins from the kitchen. Adam had opened the box to reveal the pepperoni, mushroom and green pepper pizza. Gwen handed him his beer and they ate their dinner. 

Duncan ordered a second bottle of wine, while Amanda told him stories of the art collectors she had worked with recently. The anecdotes were amusing and the wine had lightened his mood quite a bit. The food had been excellent, the wine better. An hour had gone by without the Scot thinking about Gwen and Adam. Amanda had indeed worked her charms on him. 

The rain had eased up considerably as they left the restaurant. Amanda clung to Duncan's arm on the way to the car. She pressed up against him while he unlocked her door. "I've really missed you, Duncan," she whispered in his ear. "I'm so glad that you called me to come out here." 

Still under the influence of the food and wine, MacLeod found himself responding to her advances by embracing her and nuzzling her neck. He helped her into the car and strode around to the driver's side, looking forward to getting home with Amanda when he remembered why he had called Amanda in the first place. By the time he started the car he was brooding again.    


	23. Chapter 23

After the dishes were cleared and the leftover pizza stored, Adam and Gwen settled back on the sofa each with another beer. Their conversation had been mostly about the goings on at the university. Eventually, the topic turned back to the early life of Methos. 

"So, you stayed in Ur for a while. Then what? Back to build more pyramids?"

"Actually, yes, I did go back to Egypt for a while," he replied. "But I had to keep moving around every few years. People would start to notice that I wasn't aging, or I'd accidentally get killed."  

"I guess it's hard to stay around after you've cracked your head open or broken your neck," Gwen said. "On the other hand, with all the nomadic tribes around at the time, it must have been easier to disappear from one and reappear in another without getting caught." 

"It was much simpler to change identities then," he replied. "No photos or fingerprinting. You just walked a few miles and changed your name." 

"Did you meet many other immortals?" she wanted to know. "Were there many around back then?"

"There were… some," Methos replied, hesitating a bit. 

Taking a swallow of her beer, Gwen regarded him for a moment then asked, "Did you fight them all or did you have a group of friends like you do here? I mean… you guys don't seem all that interested in this 'battle to the death game'. You all get along."  

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, "There were… um… I…" He closed his eyes for several minutes. 

Concerned, Gwen leaned forward and took his hand. "Adam? You don't have to tell me…" 

"Yes, I do," he said softly. There was another long pause. Finally he spoke, "I met Kronos first. I was not in a good place. The tribe I had been living with was all but wiped out by disease. My wife and her family had died. I was left alone again. I was wandering through the desert towards yet another village when he rode up to me." 

He looked at the bottle in his hand for a moment, and then took a drink. "We fought," he continued, "for what must have been hours. I don't think that he had come across anyone who gave him much of a challenge. I think we saw in each other something more than another head to take." 

"So, you became friends?" Gwen asked. 

"Kronos wasn't… Friend isn't really the word for …" Methos searched for a way to explain. "Kronos needed a playmate. He used his immortality to take what he wanted at whatever cost. He wanted a partner in crime and I became just that. We found Silas and Caspian soon after and the four of us were the scourge of the known world." 

Gwen raised an eyebrow, "The scourge of the world? You sound like the four horsemen of the apocalypse."

Swallowing hard, Methos closed his eyes again and nodded. He expected her to recoil from him, to gasp in shock, to react in horror. Instead, when he opened his eyes he found her staring at him, her own bright eyes wide in wonder. 

"Wow," she finally managed to say. She searched her memory to recall what she knew from the Bible and the legends. "War, famine, pestilence and death. All on different colored horses, carrying different weapons. Destroying whatever was in their path."     

Again, he nodded and waited for her to pull away from him, but she continued to hold his hand and look at him, waiting for him to resume. 

"Which one were you?" she asked. 

"I…" he hesitated, "I was… Death."

Softly she quoted, "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed him. And the power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." Noting the look of surprise on his face, she added, "I went to church." 

"We were the most feared, most deadly force in earth," he continued after a pause. "At first I joined Kronos because I knew that if I didn't, he'd find a way to kill me. I wanted to survive. But as we went on… I grew to… enjoy it. I planned most of the raids. The others were the brute force, but I was the… brain behind it. " 

And so he told her everything about his time with the horsemen and about Cassandra - how he loved her and let her go to Kronos, and her escape. He related his discontent with the horsemen and their eventual break up, coming finally to Kronos finding him again, and how he and Duncan and Cassandra had defeated them. Gwen never spoke, but let him tell his story in his own way, in his own time. Throughout his narrative, her eyes never left his face. 

"I wanted you to know who you were… who I…" again he paused searching for words. "I've been a terrible person, done awful things." 

Gwen reached up and placed her hand on his face. He leaned into her caress as she said softly, "I believe that we are the people that we are now because of the events of our lives. Every choice you made, every action, every moment in your life has made you the man you are today. Whatever has happened to you, whatever you've done in the past, you've learned from it and become _this _man. This wonderful, funny, intelligent, caring man." 

Their eyes still locked on each other, Adam leaned forward, his lips barely brushing hers. He tilted his head back a bit to look at her. Her hand was still on his face and she was looking into his eyes. As they moved towards each other again he kissed her softly. Gwen moved her hand from his face and wrapped her arm around his neck. The kiss deepened and suddenly they could not get close enough to each other. Adam reached his arm around Gwen's waist and pulled her on to his lap. 

When the need for air finally overcame them, they pulled apart slightly lips still touching. "I knew that once I started kissing you that I would never want to stop," Adam murmured before his mouth claimed hers again. 

Gwen ran her hands through Adam's hair as they explored each other's mouths. His hands caressed her back and he felt her arch into him as one hand made contact with the skin at the small of her back. They were so completely lost in each other that it was several minutes before either of them noticed that the phone was ringing.

Amanda had not been able to get Duncan out of his mood. When they returned to the loft no amount of joking, caressing or seduction could bring him around. Amanda tried to snuggle up to him in bed, but Duncan rolled over toward the wall. Eventually, they both drifted off to sleep although his was fitful. He woke after about an hour and tossed and turned for a while before he finally got up, fixed himself a Scotch and moved to the sofa.

He sat for some time staring at the night sky through the window, wondering why it bothered him so much that Gwen wanted to spend time with Adam. He remembered the night that she had told him about her friend from college. He knew that there had been a connection between them. Was it just wishful thinking that the connection was a romantic one? He sighed heavily. Suddenly he felt arms wrapping around his neck. 

"What are you doing?" Amanda asked. "Come back to bed. I'll give you a massage." 

"I couldn't sleep," he replied. "I thought a drink might help." 

"Well, then I'll keep you company," she said as she settled down on the sofa beside him.

They sat in silence for several minutes. Duncan glanced sideways at Amanda. She sat patiently waiting for him to decide what to do. 

Finally, he spoke, "When Gwen first got here, she spent a lot of time with Richie. The two of them got along great, but neither one of them had any romantic interest in the other. And the more time I spent with her, the more time I wanted to spend with her. She seemed to be everything I… I mean she's warm, witty, intelligent, and beautiful. And she wouldn't be another Tessa or Anne." 

Duncan paused and took a sip of his drink before continuing, "She confided in me. I thought that there was something happening between us. Maybe I was just lonely and wanted to believe… I don't know." He sighed again. "Then Methos showed up. Almost from the moment they met… the way they looked at each other… I guess I wasn't ready to give up. I didn't want it to be true."

Amanda made no comment. She simply placed her hand over his while he spoke. She knew that he needed to talk this out on his own.  

"Last night was when I finally realized that it really wasn't going to happen," he said sadly. "I kissed her when I took her home. She pulled away from me and told me that she wasn't ready for that kind of relationship. But I knew that she meant that she didn't want that kind of relationship with me. Then knowing that they were together all day today…"

"Duncan, do you honestly think that if Methos wasn't in the picture that you and Gwen would be together?" Amanda asked. 

MacLeod turned to look at her. "No," he said, "As much as I wanted it… No, we wouldn't be together." 

She reached around his neck and gave him a hug. "Come on," she said standing up. "You need some sleep." 

The Scot allowed himself to be pulled up and over to the bed and crawled in. Amanda slid in beside him, but gave him his space. The two fell asleep, each lost in their own thoughts. 


	24. Chapter 24

The annoying sound of the phone finally penetrated Adam's senses. In between kisses, he whispered, "The phone's ringing."

"Hmmmm?" Gwen realized what he had said and whispered back, "Let the machine get it." Her left hand caressed his neck and moved around to his neck and down his chest. Her right arm was still wrapped around his neck.   

Adam started to lean her back on to the sofa, when they heard the voice on the answering machine. "Um… Hello, Professor Ambrose, this is Sgt. Crutchfield with the campus police. Would you please call us as soon as you get this message? A couple of offices have been broken into and vandalized. Yours is one of them and I…"

Gwen pushed Adam back, reaching for the portable phone on the coffee table. "Hello? … Yes, this is she…. What? … Okay. I'll be right there." She hung up the phone and turned to Adam. 

Before she could say anything, he stood up, "I'll drive. Go get your shoes. I'll get your coat." 

When they reached the campus, there were several police cars outside the building that housed the Near Eastern Studies department. Gwen and Adam hurried toward the entrance, only to be stopped by a campus security officer who asked them to identify themselves. Once they were cleared they ran up to the second floor to Gwen's office. 

The glass on the door had been broken to gain access to the locked office. All the items on the desk were on the floor and the bookcases and file cabinets had been overturned. The two wooden chairs that sat opposite the desk were in pieces. Fluorescent orange paint had been sprayed haphazardly all over the room. 

Gwen stood surveying the destruction that had been her office. There was virtually nothing that was in its proper place. Sgt. Crutchfield asked her if she could tell if anything was missing.  

"I… I don't know… I mean it's hard to tell with everything…" she stammered, tears forming in her eyes. "I took my laptop home, but my other research could be in this mess." 

Adam wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "We'll go through everything when the police are finished."  

"Were you working on anything if a … sensitive nature?" the sergeant asked. "Anything someone might want to steal, I mean?"

"No…. I mean I don't think so," Gwen replied. "This isn't a very competitive field. Most of my research is on the Sumerian mythologies. Not really a hot topic."

"Hmmmmm," Crutchfield mused. "Well, Dr. Pierson lets go look at your office. There's a lot of damage there, too." 

Gwen spun around to face the sergeant, "Adam's office? Were any others broken into?"

As they walked down the hall he replied, "Nope. Just these two. Why?"

Gwen's breath caught and she closed her eyes. "The blue Honda," she whispered. 

"What?" Adam and Sgt. Crutchfield asked together. 

Taking a deep breath, Gwen looked up at Adam and then at the sergeant, "Someone's been following me … for a couple of weeks… in an older blue Honda."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Adam wanted to know. 

"I wasn't sure at first. I saw it on campus frequently and I just assumed it was a student," she told him, "but then I started seeing it at the dojo and…"

Sgt. Crutchfield let out a long slow breath. "Okay. I'm going to call the city police in on this," he said. "This is something… This is more than campus security needs to handle."

As he turned to make the call, Gwen leaned into Adam. He pulled her to his chest and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they stood this way until Crutchfield addressed them again. 

"They're sending someone over," he said, hanging up the phone. "They're going to want to ask you some questions and stuff. You might want to wait in the hall… You know… preserve the crime scene and all." 

They moved into the hallway and settled onto a bench, Adam's arm still around her. "I should have told you… I didn't think … I didn't want…" Gwen stammered. 

"I know," Adam said, tightening his hold on her. "I noticed him about a month ago. I've followed him to make sure he didn't do anything to you. He's not…. one of us."

Gwen looked at him in shock. "Why didn't you tell _me_?!?"

"I didn't want to worry you," he said softly. "He's not immortal and until today, all he had done was follow you around. He didn't seem to be too much of a danger."

"Until today," she said slowly, turning her face up to his, fear in her eyes. "He saw us together all day. Adam…" 

"I know," he murmured. "I thought about that, too."

Half and hour later they both looked up as a uniformed city policeman came down the hall toward them. He was speaking into a radio, requesting someone from the crime lab come out to process the scene. He stopped a few feet from their bench as he finished his instructions to the dispatcher. 

"You two must be … Ms. Ambrose and Dr. Pierson," he said, checking his notes. "I'm Officer Simpson. I see we've got some vandalism here. Any idea who might have something against either one of you?"

Gwen and Adam exchanged a glance, before Adam answered, "We don't know of anyone specifically, but there has been a man following Gwen." 

"And when did you notice this, Ms Ambrose?" Simpson asked. He peered at them, taking in the way Adam's arm was tight around Gwen's shoulders and Gwen's hand rested on Adam's leg. 

Hesitating for a moment, she replied, "A couple of weeks ago. He drives a medium blue, older Honda Accord… A sedan… I usually notice it behind me, so I didn't get the license plate number."

"It's J-K-G 5472," Adam said quickly. "Arizona tags."

"Juliet, Kilo, Golf, five, four, seven, two, from Arizona," the officer repeated as he wrote on his notepad. "And just how did you come by this information, Dr. Pierson?" 

"I noticed this guy before Gwen did," he told him. "I followed him a few times to see what he was up to." 

Simpson regarded him for a few seconds. "Okay. Can either of you give me description? Hair or eye color. Did you ever see him out of the vehicle?" 

"Every time I saw him he had on a hat… a baseball cap," she said. "And in the day time he wore sunglasses. I never saw him out of the car."  

"Same here," Adam agreed. "I wish we could tell you more."

"All right," the officer continued. "We're going to dust for fingerprints and take some pictures. We'll need to fingerprint both of you to eliminate those prints, but we can do that in the morning. Then you can clean up and see if anything is missing." 

"Do you need us for anything else tonight?" Adam wanted to know. 

"I don't think so," he replied, "but why don't you leave me a numbers where you can both be reached."

When Gwen had repeated her phone number to the officer, Adam told him, "I'll be there as well." Seeing the look of relief on her face he asked, "You didn't think I was going to leave you alone, did you?"

Simpson considered this for a moment. "I wouldn't recommend being alone at all until we get this guy," he said. "He's gone from stalking to vandalism. No telling what it'll escalate to next."

"Thank you, officer," Adam said, shaking the man's hand. Gwen echoed his sentiment and they headed for the exit. 

When they returned to Gwen's duplex, Adam opened a beer and settled on the sofa. Gwen, on the other hand paced around the apartment, fidgeting nervously. She moved around the room needlessly straightening things until Adam finally stopped her and pulled her down onto the sofa with him. 

"Gwen, look at me," he said. "Whoever he is, he's not going to hurt you. I'm going to be right here." 

She gazed up at him for a moment then leaned her head on his chest without speaking. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. They sat that way for a while in silence. Finally, Adam asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm just tired." 

"You should get some sleep," he told her. "You've had a long day and it is pretty late."

Gwen nodded and stood up. She took Adam's hand and said, "Come on." 

"Are you sure?" he asked, clearly surprised. "I mean … I can sleep on the sofa."

She stammered, "I … I just…  want you close to me."

Nodding in understanding, Adam rose from the sofa. "Okay," he said simply. "I'll check the front door and get the lights." 

"I'll look to see if I have an extra toothbrush," she told him.  

Adam went to the front door and looked out at the street. He didn't see the now familiar blue car, but knew that there were several side streets with a view of the duplex. Just as he moved to turn out the lamp, Gwen emerged from the bedroom.

"There's a toothbrush in the bathroom," she said, "and a t-shirt and a pair of shorts that should fit you. I'm going to get a drink of water, then I'll change."

The bathroom door was still closed when Gwen entered the bedroom. She crossed to the bureau and pulled out her pajamas. While she waited for Adam to come out, she picked up her brush and pulled it through her thick hair. She was still brushing when the oldest immortal finally emerged in a blue Duke t-shirt and gray gym shorts. 

"Oh, good," she said, "they fit." 

Looking down at himself, he nodded, "They'll do, I guess. Thanks."

Gwen hesitated a moment, then grabbed her pajamas and headed for the bathroom, "I'll just get changed now." 

As soon as the door closed, Adam turned down the bed then looked around the room. She had a small bookcase that was overflowing with volumes, mostly ancient history, and several more stacks off to the side. Her two guitars we propped up against the wall along with a smaller case. There was a picture if whom he assumed was Gwen's mother and a family photo taken while she was obviously in junior high school. There was little else of a personal nature to see in the room, so he climbed into the bed. 

The bathroom door opened to reveal Gwen dressed in loose purple pajama bottoms and a black form fitting tank top. She smiled slightly at the sight of him in her bed and she took a deep breath before joining him. 

"I didn't know which side you slept on," Adam said. "I figured the one closest to the door…"

"I usually sleep in the middle," she told him. "But, yeah, more to this side." 

She reached up to turn off the lamp then leaned back on the pillows. She stayed that way for a few minutes then rolled onto her side facing Adam. "I … I just want to thank you … for staying with me, I mean. I don't know what I … " her voice broke, a tear escaping from her eye. 

He reached out and brushed a lock of hair away then stroked her face. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said softly. "Come here." Her pulled her closer to him, one arm under her neck, the other around her waist. Gwen snuggled up to him and hugged him. Within a few minutes she was sound asleep.   


	25. Chapter 25

_OK… I realize that it's been forever since I updated this story, but my real life got in the way of my writing life. I finally got some time and the inclination to continue, so here is another installment. I won't make any promises about when more will come, but I hope it won't be so long until the next chapter._

_Thanks for your patience._

Gwen awoke slowly to the feel of something stoking her back. As she broke through the barrier of sleep, she also noted that her "pillow" was warm and moving slightly. She cautiously opened her eyes and realized that she was lying with her head on Adam's chest. She lifted her head slightly to see him smiling at her.

"Good morning," he said softly. "Did you sleep well?"

"Ummmm… I did actually," she replied, snuggling back into the crook of his arm. "You make a nice pillow."

Adam chuckled. "Happy to be of service," he said.

They lay still for several minutes listening to the quiet of the morning. Gwen yawned and stretched, rolling over onto her back. Adam moved onto his side and propped his head up in his hand so he could look at her. He reached down to stroke her face. She smiled up at him as he continued to caress her face and neck. Slowly he leaned down to kiss her. As their lips met, she slid her arm around his neck. Adam wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss which felt as if it lasted an eternity. Gwen sighed and raked her fingers through his hair as his lips moved from her mouth to her jaw and down to her neck.

As Adam's hand found the strip of bare skin between her pajama bottoms and tank top Gwen moaned softly. His hand seemed to burning hot on her back. She shifted to move her body even closer to his and wrapped her arm more tightly around his neck.

Suddenly the sensation of another immortal approaching washed over them. They both sat up quickly. "What now?" Adam said.

Gwen groaned and leaned back onto the pillows. "Duncan," she muttered. "We were supposed to run this morning. What time is it?"

"Uh… It's seven thirty," he replied looking at the clock.

"Damn," she said, sliding out of bed. "He's probably freaking out. I never miss a run."

Just as she heard the first knock, Gwen opened the door to see a very worried looking Scot. "Duncan, I am so sorry. I didn't realize what time it was," she said in a rush.

"Are you okay? I got worried when…" MacLeod's voice trailed off as he looked over her head at Adam emerging from the bedroom in clothes that were obviously not his own. He took a few steps into the apartment while Gwen moved to close the door behind him.

"Morning, MacLeod," the oldest immortal said casually. "It's stopped raining, I see."

"What are you doing here?" Duncan asked through clenched teeth.

Gwen and Adam exchanged a long look before Gwen spoke. "Someone's been stalking me, our offices were vandalized and the police felt that I shouldn't be alone," she told him.

His eyes widening in shock, Duncan managed to sputter, "Wh…Wh… What?!?"

Sighing, Gwen ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm going to go make coffee. Why don't you fill Duncan in on our exciting evening. Okay?" she said to Adam.

Nodding, he flopped down on the sofa and motioned for MacLeod to sit in the chair. He glanced in the direction of the kitchen as he heard the sounds of coffee being prepared. The highlander slowly sat, still staring at the other man.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Duncan eventually asked.

"It's like Gwen said," Adam began. "We were … hanging out here when campus security called to tell her that her office had been broken into. We got over there and someone had completely trashed it and mine."

"And what is this about a stalker?" he wanted to know.

As he rubbed his hands over his face, Adam debated the best way to divulge this bit of information. The Scot was not going to be happy about being left out of the loop on this part. Finally, he said, "I noticed someone following Gwen about a month ago. I tailed him several times to see what he was up to. He never made any kind of move on her. Apparently, Gwen noticed him a couple of weeks ago, but didn't say anything about it to us because she didn't think it was much to be concerned about. He was following her yesterday and saw us spending a lot of time together and I guess he snapped and took it out on our offices. We told the police and they strongly suggested that she not be left alone until they catch the guy."

Throughout this narrative Duncan's jaw clenched tighter and tighter. His eyes narrowed and he asked, "So, you decided to take advantage of this situation?"

"No, Duncan. He didn't," came Gwen's voice from the doorway of the kitchen. "I asked him to stay with me."

Both men turned to look at her as she entered the room. Handing each of them a mug of coffee, she settled herself on the sofa beside Adam. "There was someone watching me and he had suddenly gotten violent. I didn't want to stay by myself."

"Why didn't you tell us that you thought there was someone after you?" he wanted to know. "I could have helped protect you."

Gwen took a sip of her coffee before answering, "So far, he hasn't made any direct contact. I wasn't even really sure I _was_ being followed at first. Until last night, I was still telling myself that I was probably my imagination."

"Well, why didn't _you _say anything?" he asked the older immortal. "We could have taken Gwen out of town or something."

Setting his mug on the table, Adam sat up, "That's exactly why I didn't tell you. Gwen just started a life here and she isn't ready to leave it yet. No one is going to get close to her."

"But someone _has_ gotten close," Duncan argued. "If Amanda had taken her to the convent last week, none of this would have happened."

"Or he would have been able to get closer to her there with just Amanda around," Adam countered.

Gwen waved her hands to get their attention, "Uh… Hello! … I'm right here! Does anyone care what _I_ think about this?"

They both stopped and stared at her. She looked from one to the other for a moment. "Thank you," she said. "Didn't we have this discussion last week? I'm not going anywhere."

"See, MacLeod," Adam said. "She's not leaving. We just need to make sure that someone is nearby ..."

"Is this another immortal?" Duncan interrupted. "Or possibly someone working for an immortal?"

Both Gwen and Adam shook their heads.

"I've been close enough to know that he's not immortal," Adam explained, "and he was following her before she became immortal, so I don't think it's that."

"I think it's just your regular, run-of-the-mill crazy person," the young immortal said with a shrug, "Who has fixated on me for some unknown reason. But either way, I'm not going to be run out of town."


	26. Chapter 26

_I can hear the collective gasp from here. Yes it's true… I have another chapter. I realize that it's been ages upon ages since I wrote for this story, but Gwen has finally shown up again and has been hitting me over the head to bring her back. I'll try to get something more up before another year and a half has passed. _

_The same disclaimers apply. I'm still not making any money from this and the characters that you know from the show still don't belong to me._

_>_

_>_

_>_

_>_

_> _

Gwen hobbled over to the bench and dropped down with a thud. She breathed deeply and leaned back against the wall. The ache from the gash in her thigh was increasing instead of fading. She wondered if it was because it was the fourth deep wound she had received during this training session. Glancing down at her blood stained clothes, her thoughts turned to a hot bath and a warm bed.

"I doubt that your opponent will give you time to sit down and heal," Duncan called from the center of the dojo. "Pick up your sword and come back over here."

Instead of rising, Gwen looked over at Adam who was leaning against the opposite wall with his arms crossed. His face was impassive, giving no sign of support. Clenching her jaw she turned to face the Scot.

"I've had enough for today, Duncan," she told him. "And I still have some work to do in my office..."

"I don't think you realize how important this is," MacLeod interrupted her. "You_ have_ to be prepared to defend yourself... to fight!"

"Yes, I do," the young woman replied defiantly. "And I train almost every day and I train hard! But I've had a really long day and I'm tired."

The highlander stalked across the room to stand in front of his student, "Being tired is not a good enough reason to cut your training short. Especially now. We have no idea who this guy following you is or what he wants. You have to be ready."

Once again, Gwen looked to Adam to back her up, but the oldest immortal remained in his spot on the wall, arms crossed over his chest, no expression on his face. Realizing that help was not forthcoming, she pulled herself up to her full height and faced her teacher.

"I will be ready, Duncan," she said, "but right now I need to stop. I was on campus until late last night, I got up early this morning, I spent four hours cleaning up our offices, and we've been at this for over two hours."

"But, Gwen..." Duncan began.

"And," she continued, "I have been knocked down, sliced up and between the two of you, almost run through at least three times. I'm tired and I am going home!"

With that, Gwen yanked on her coat, shoved her sword into the inside pocket and grabbed her bag. With a toss of her head she stormed out the door. From his spot on the wall, Adam chuckled.

MacLeod whirled around at the sound of the laugh, "Aren't you going after her?"

Shrugging, Adam replied, "She'll be back." He moved off to retrieve his own coat and sword.

"What do you mean 'She'll be back'," he shouted. "That guy could be following her home right now!"

Calmly, Adam turned around to look at his friend. "You wouldn't let her drive this morning, remember? She doesn't have any transportation. She'll be back up in a few minutes when she realizes that she can't get home."

"Well, I don't think she's safe out there by herself," Duncan said. "I'm going to get her..."

"MacLeod, leave her alone,"Adam told him. "She knows that there is danger, but she needs to admit it to herself... not have you constantly remind her of it. She needs to realize that going off on her own isn't such a good idea. If you go down there and drag her back, it's just going to make her more determined to ditch all of us. Then who knows what might happen."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As she reached the street and realized that her car wasn't there, Gwen hurled her bag at the wall and let out a frustrated scream. For a moment, she stood still, her fists and jaw clenched tight. Just as she was about to grab her bag and head back into the dojo, she felt the unmistakable buzz of an approaching immortal. Reaching into her coat for her sword she looked around frantically.

Suddenly, a motorcycle roared around the corner and screeched to a stop beside her. Richie pulled off his helmet and gave his head a quick shake. His broad smile at seeing his friend faded quickly when he saw her flushed face and bloody clothes.

"Gwen, are you alright?" he asked, climbing off the bike. "You haven't been in a fight or anything, have you?"

"More like getting my ass kicked," she said, leaning heavily on the wall. "I've been _training _with Adam and Duncan and it's hasn't been going very well."

"Yeah, Mac's training sessions can get a little intense. It's like he wants you to be as good as he is all at once." Richie looked around for Gwen's jeep. "What are you doing out here and where's your car?"

"I was going to go home, but I forgot that I rode over here with Adam," she replied with a sigh. "Now I don't… Hey, would you mind giving me a ride home?"

Richie shrugged. "No problem. I was just stopping by to see if anyone wanted to go to Joe's for a drink."

He handed her the extra helmet swung his leg over the motorcycle and started it up. Gwen secured her bag over her shoulders and settled on the bike behind her friend. Mindful of his passenger, Richie eased away from the curb rather then roaring off in his usual fashion. Regardless of his care in driving, Gwen held on tightly.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"It's been fifteen minutes, Methos," The highlander practically shouted at his friend. "If she were going to come back up, she would have done it by now. I'm going down there."

As much as he had wanted to be right about Gwen, Methos had to agree with Duncan. She should have been back long before now and he was worried, too. Without a word he headed for the door, MacLeod right behind him. Reaching the street, the absence of the immortal buzz increased the worry.

"I'll drive," Methos called, running to his car. Duncan was in the passenger seat within seconds and the pair raced off into the night.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

On the way towards the campus and Gwen's duplex, Richie was still trying to be careful not to speed or take the turns to sharply. Since he was used to being a bit reckless, it was taking most of his concentration. Even though he knew that she wouldn't be seriously injured in an accident, he truly didn't want the wrath of Duncan MacLeod coming down on him if something, anything at all happened to her.

Richie felt Gwen's arms tighten around him at exactly the same moment he felt the immortal buzz. The small sports car heading toward them slowed as they passed and immediately did a u-turn.

"Damn it!" the young man yelled. "Hold on!" He pressed the accelerator and steered the bike away from the residential area they were in. If this unknown immortal wanted to fight, he was going to make sure that it wasn't witnessed by the neighborhood watch.


End file.
